Three Sides of the Moon Part one: Trust
by DTitania
Summary: This is the first FFIV fic in a series of three. After the happenings of the game, an old friend returns to Baron and causes much disturbance. New perils await the Blue Planet and Cecil has an interesting meeting with a mysterious woman in his worst hour.
1. Prologue: A view from above

_DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy 2/IV and all FFIV characters are the property of Square._

_Note: I've really enjoyed writing this story. As "Trust" is only the first part of three, reviews and comments are very welcome also because I am from __Europe__ and no native English speaker._

_Please send comments to: (or just review…)_

_New author's notes: As the whole trilogy is finished by now and some people even took the time to reread the first two parts, I decided to fix some major grammar/spelling mistakes in "Trust" and "Betrayal", so that one doesn't have to wonder: "What did she mean with that?" all the time…;)_

_Also, when I look through my old parts now, it is tempting to reword some paragraphs, as my writing style has changed (or improved - that's at least what I hope…) during the years. However, when I wrote this part some years ago, it seemed just fine in my eyes, so I will respect the way the text looks for now and just try to repair some things. Also, the story is now divided in thirteen chapters with chapter headlines…sighs Don't you just hate to read your old works? ;)_

**Three sides of the moon**

**First part: TRUST**

**Prologue**

_A view from above_

The blond, long-haired young man stood on the mountaintop and surveyed the landscape below. Tomorrow he would leave this place which he had called his home for nearly a year and return once again to the world of the living - he would return to Baron Castle.

Baron - the place where he had been raised together with his best friends Cecil and Rosa and the place where these two had been married one year ago...

Suddenly a voice behind him startled Kain: "At last going, boy?"

"Yeah", Kain replied and faced the owner of the voice - a tall hooded figure with hardly recognizable features. This strange old fellow had been around him for some days now - still Kain did not even know his name. This did matter to him little, anyway - the people seeking guidance and purity on Mt. Ordeals were all strange fellows - lost to the world and to themselves. Still, Kain felt that this man was special; though he could not say why - the only thing he knew was that he did not like him or his tone...

"Any problems with my leaving, old man?" he asked sharply and took a step towards the frail figure.

The man shrank back a bit, though answered with a calm voice: "Not at all, my young friend. Finally decided to leave the past behind, eh?" He motioned with his hand towards a dark pile of armor, which lay next to Kain's feet - the armor of a Dragoon.

Kain just nodded calmly, turned away and continued to study the world below.

A harsh wind blew in his face and made his eyes water. It was just like the day one year ago as he had stood here on Mt. Ordeals for the first time and had tried to imagine how everyone back in Baron was attending the wedding: laughing and admiring their new King and Queen - without him. He had been afraid then as he was afraid now, to face his former friends - to face Cecil, whom he had betrayed badly and to face Rosa, the woman he had loved as long as he could think of - and still did...

_"Cecil must have looked strikingly in his white paladin garb, radiating an aura of holiness and light,"_ Kain thought. "_And Rosa-she surely must have been a beautiful bride with flowers decorating her long, golden hair…"_ Hair, which had the sweetest scent Kain could imagine.

_"I wonder if Cecil has made her happy..."_

"And if not?" the dark voice of the stranger broke his thoughts. Kain realized that he probably had uttered his last thought aloud. He whirled around and faced the man with a cold gaze.

"I mean, " the man continued unimpressed, "I do not know who this "Cecil" fellow is nor do I know "her", but I guess she's someone very dear to you. I just wondered-"

"Silence!" Kain bellowed, "It is none of your concern!"

Surprised by this sudden outburst, the man took a step back: "Hey, now you stay calm! I just wanted to help you - I did not mean any harm..." he murmured, sounding hurt.

Kain's expression softened. "I am sorry… No apologize needed, I should not have thought aloud... It is just that-" he paused for a moment. "It is just that this "she" is a woman who means very much to me and tomorrow I will see her again..." He bowed his head in shame - why did he felt the urge to tell a complete stranger all this?

The hooded fellow studied him for a while then gave him a slight smile: "Hmm, so my suspect was right - loving a married woman aren't we, my friend? Dangerous game - did play it myself when I was young. You have to be careful not to get burned, eh!" He playfully slapped Kain on the shoulder, but quickly drew away as he noticed that the other's eyes were taking on a dangerous expression. But he was too slow - before he was able to take even two steps back, Kain had gripped him already at the front of his cape and had hurled him violently at a nearby stone formation.

"One sentence more and you are dead!" the blond man hissed, and tightened his grip even more. "It is not the way you think... I would never, _never_ again hurt one of them! I am playing no games – darn, I... " he suddenly felt tears rising in his eyes. "How could _you_ possibly understand? What do _you_ know of love ...?"

He pressed the frail figure one more time to the wall, then loosened his grip and walked back to the pile of armor. He nearly felt the urge to slap himself. _"Damn - why did you had to become so agitated, you worthless excuse for a knight? "_ he thought to himself. _"Tomorrow you will see the most important people in your life again after one year of hardship and prayer and still such a crazy old man is enough to make you lose your self- control completely..."_ He slowly felt the coldness creeping back into him as he saw his old armor which reminded him of what he had come here for...

As he shoved the pile of rubble with his foot into the abyss, the coldness in his heart became mixed with the feeling of grief and the strange realization that things would never be same again as they once were…

"Rosa, Cecil," he whispered as he watched the pieces disappear in the darkness below, "I know that I can never undo the things I have done to you, but I will at least try to make it up to you - I promise, I _will_prove that I have changed ..."

"Hahaha..." the soft chuckle of the hooded man sent Kain spinning around again - but he could not spot him anywhere.

The voice continued: "Noble words - but have you really changed, have your feelings really changed - this burning love for Rosa, the sudden feeling of jealousy and hate when you see "him"?"

"That's enough, old man!" Kain shouted. "Where are you? Show yourself - you do know nothing of me!"

"So do _you, _Kain!"

Still, Kain could not spot the origin of the voice.

"Why do you always overestimate yourself so much? You have to accept your nature - or do you think throwing away your rusty armor will make you a better man?"

"No!" Kain shook his head in rage, "But it is a start, something to begin with - to make it up to them..."

"Hmmm, how noble - but who knows if your "nobility" is wanted, little Dragoon - or do you think your friends will welcome you with open arms again? Maybe Cecil will let you visit his beautiful wife in the bedroom right away - for the sake of old times, eh..." The voice did not stop to mock him.

"Stop it!" Kain screamed on the top of his lungs. "They are not like that! Cecil has "changed" long ago himself - he knows that it is possible…He is one of the most decent and purest men ever to walk the earth! He, together with Rosa, will surely help me to continue walking the right path - I will do everything to gain their trust and friendship once more ..."

"Gain their trust? To what purpose? You have said yourself that you cannot undo the things you did ... Things will never be the way they were... So why do you want to gain their trust?" ...You are silent? Well, let me tell you then, why: _To betray them again and again and again. As nothing can change your nature!" _

"No! That is not true!" Kain fell to his knees, tears flooding down his face, his hands trying to cover his ears as the voice continued speaking on and on, reminding him of his lies and dirty deeds during all these years, telling him to let go of his false pretences and urging him to accept his true nature and to embrace evil again. Finally the voice stopped, leaving a collapsed, sobbing man to his own misery...


	2. Chapter 1: Longing for the past

**Chapter 1**

_Longing for the past_

"Do I really have to?" Cecil asked half pleadingly.

"Oh come on, darling!" Rosa leant her head playfully to one side. 

"What is so unusual about her wanting to sit next to you? After all she is your mother-in-law. It is only natural that she wants to talk with you to get to know you better..." 

"It is only _natural that she wants to tease me - Rosa dear, you know that she does not like me! She blames me for bringing you in danger one year ago. Why must she come anyway? We are celebrating the victory against Zeromus - all our friends will come. This is not an usual party ..." _

He looked hopefully at his wife, but to his dismay she got a stern look to her face although normally, Rosa was a soft hearted woman and tended not to be headstrong. They had been married for one year now and were as happy as ever and quarrels were seldom - not because Rosa would always give in, but because the two of them agreed in most terms very willingly to the other. As said, they agreed in most terms but _"__Rosa__'s mother is coming to dinner "_ was the number one subject which _always caused trouble. _

As it was now: as Cecil studied the harsh and a bit angry expression which seemed so unusual to see in the normally lovely features of his wife, it reminded him of the flight to the moon one year ago. Back then he, Kain and Edge had sent the girls away for safety reasons, but both had hid in the ship. As they had tried once again to send the girls away, Rosa had looked at him in the same way as she did now -- a look which signaled him that nothing would change her point of view. 

"Cecil, sometimes you are impossible!" she started to scold him, "Mother wants to meet our friends, too and what does this "_It is not a usual party" _stuff mean? It sure is not, but my mother is not some ambassador of a foreign country but... but _family! You could at least try and be nice to her ... " She glanced at him angrily. _

"Alright," Cecil sighed, "I will not argue about this, but please do not be upset ... One can at least try, right?"

With a boyish grin he took Rosa in his arms. Her face softened as she returned the warm embrace and she started to giggle quietly. "You are some Paladin and King, Mr. Cecil Harvey -- you make treaties with diplomats from all over the world, but are not able to have a civilized talk with your mother-in-law. You should be more sensitive - after all you stand for law, goodness and light as a Paladin ..." She continued giggling and looked at him, trying to look as accusingly as possible. 

Cecil had to smile -- Rosa was never long angry with him. On the other hand if they had different opinions she mostly got what she wanted -- he loved her too much to deny her anything. "Alright sweetheart, maybe you are right," he said softly," Maybe it is my fault that I and your mother do not get along well and she really is a nice person - after all she is the mother of the most wonderful woman in the world..."

Rosa beamed at him, and giggled even more, cheeks slightly red - she knew that the compliments Cecil made were always really meant by him and not just courtesy. She laid her arms around his neck and gave him an affectionate kiss. Some castle servants hurried through the hallways, but did take no interest in the tightly embraced couple: This sight was very normal to them, as their rulers never made the attempt to hide their deep affection for the other. Finally Rosa loosened herself out of Cecil's embrace.

"Alright - I will just tell mother that she is invited. Will you do the last checks, dear? Everything has to be perfect when they arrive!" 

She gave him another smile, then turned away and hurried elegantly down the hallway. 

Cecil looked after her for a moment, admiring her graceful movements. He was about to turn around himself, as someone gave him a slap on his back, which nearly sent him flying to the floor. 

"Cid - ugh - I have told you not do this!"****

"Oh sorry, Your Majesty!" said the bulky man in dirty work clothes with a big smile." I did mean you no harm. Just wanted to check if everything was alright with Your Highness!" 

Cecil grinned. "It was - until now... And stop calling me Majesty and Highness - we are friends..." He rubbed his shoulder.

"Oh sure - sorry I forgot, My Lord," answered Cid and smiled even more broadly.

The big man was not only the chief mechanic in Baron and a genius inventor, but also one of Cecil's and Rosa's best and oldest friends - there was hardly a thing they did not know of each other 

"Well - I saw Rosa leaving in a hurry... Is she visiting the old Dragon in town?" Cid asked, smiling. 

Cecil had to laugh. "Yeah, she is - though I'd liked a _real_ dragon better... My dear wife is going to invite her mother to the dinner this evening ..." 

"You have lost again to her – haven't you? Well the others will be there, too - maybe you are lucky and Edge will take a liking in her, eh?" He uttered a loud laugh. 

"Thanks for the comfort, Cid," Cecil smiled. "But even if Edge is still as impetuously as he was before, he still has some grips left! See you later - I have work to do. And change these clothes... "He gave his friend a reproachful look, which was not meant seriously, though."Rosa will kill you if you welcome our friends in this outfit!" 

"But it is comfortable and reminds me of my dear airships!" Cid muttered as he watched Cecil striding down the hallway, looking very noble and impressive in his white paladin garb with its high boots, a dark red cloak draped around his shoulders and his long, beautiful white hair, which was held in place by the golden tiara of the paladin. Cid looked down at his grayish shirt, which was stained with dirt and oil. 

"I wonder why _his_ clothes always look clean and white ..."

~*~

Cecil had finished his inspect route by now, having given last orders in his clear and calm way, and now was on his way to the royal quarters. He still had some time left until the first of their old friends would arrive, and he wanted to get some rest. It would be the last rest he would get for a very long time, as the festivities would last for several days. The whole nation would celebrate - not only the victory over the Dark One year ago, but also the current state of things as the country prospered like never before. As the other Kingdoms like Damcyan and Eblan had been damaged badly in the fights one year ago and took - even though everyone was helping - longer in returning things to "normal", Cecil and Rosa had decided to invite everyone to Baron. Even though Cecil had seen some of his old friends now and then during the past months, he really was looking forward to meeting them all again as a whole. Especially Rydia he had not seen now for some months, as the journey to the land of the Summoned Monsters was always a difficult one. But this time everyone would come - Rydia, Yang , Edge, Edward and even Palom and Porom accompanied by the Elder of Mysidia. For Cecil the visit of the elder was a great honor as the relationship between Baron and Mysidia had not been the best in the past. 

However, as the young king walked across the castle courtyard, which was empty as everyone was busy in the castle, he suddenly felt very depressed.

_"I wonder if the people of Mysidia will ever forgive me?"_ he thought to himself and suddenly felt very alone and not at all in the mood for a celebration. These changes of mood as he had one now, were very familiar to him, though he could not do anything against them. His new life as a paladin and King was a very strenuous but also a very rewarding one. He had everything he needed - the love between him and Rosa seemed to grow every day, he had friends and under his rule the population witnessed a time of prosperity and freedom. Still, as he sometimes watched the sky in a moment of peace and tranquillity, or surveyed the landscape out from the airship on one of his official voyages -- or just out of the blue -- he suddenly felt very empty and a dark weight seemed to press on his shoulders. He wondered why, as although he had trouble to get over his past deeds as a Black Knight , becoming a paladin and now King of Baron had given him reassurance and a purpose to live on, and not to dwell on the past. Or so he thought...

Feeling very sad in this moment again, he stopped and sat down on one of the benches in the courtyard. The castle had changed greatly in their one year of rule - the once dark and empty courtyard now was filled with a strange light and the stony ground had yielded to some trees and flowers Rosa had ordered to be planted. In the warm seasons of the year everything bloomed in warm, friendly colours and usually lightened Cecil's spirits when he looked at them. Unfortunately, it was currently autumn and the naked twigs of the plants and brown crumpled leaves on the floor made him even more depressive:

_"I wonder how Kain is doing..."_ he thought as he watched a leaf fall to the ground. He had not seen his former best friend for a long time now - he had not even attended his and Rosa's wedding. 

_"Well, who can blame him for that - seeing his once best friend marrying the woman he loves..."_ Cecil frowned.

Thinking of Kain made him feel bitter, as he was not sure of his feelings towards the young Dragoon. He kept this to himself - even Rosa, whom he told everything, did not know of his worries. 

_"I wonder if he has changed? If he still hates me?"_ Doubts were rising in Cecil's mind. 

He himself had often noticed that, when thinking of Kain, he felt anger rising within himself, paired with a sense of loss and a deep sadness. In fact he often missed his friend - being such a long time best friends as they had been, made it hard to forget the other. 

_"If he would ever return - I am sure we could get along, again. Not like it was in the old days but in a new way - a friendship grounded on trust..."_ he thought, but asked himself if Kain would want that - and if he would ever come back at all _... "Surely he will not be able to face us until he has sorted out his feelings for Rosa,"_ Cecil continued to ponder, as he stood up and made his way slowly to the stairs.__

"I wonder  ..." he muttered to himself, but stopped in mid-sentence as he heard the guards at the front gate shouting:

"The Castle is closed to the public today - His Highness and the Queen are awaiting important guests. Please leave!"

Suddenly there was a metallic sound, as if a weapon was drawn. One guard suddenly screamed for help, another one started to pound at the door. 

"You! Stop! Intruder - how do you dare to threaten a royal guard - you will get arrested - UGH!" The wooden front gate of Baron shook slightly as if someone had been thrown with full force against it . 

"Guards! We have an armed intruder here - he has hurt John!" 

At once five men marched out of the castle in direction of the gate. Cecil followed them. 

"Your Highness!" one guard bowed before him. "We have everything under control - please leave everything to us!" 

"I am sure of that commander," Cecil smiled. "But I am interested in which man would be able to upset several of Baron's _glorious_ Guards." He could not help but to chuckle slightly. 

"Oh - err, as you wish Your Highness - certainly!" 

The guard eyed his King with nervous eyes, then pulled on the big wooden door which made a long squeaking noise as it was opened. Cecil motioned the guards to stand aside and make room for him to see - an order which was promptly followed. 

It suddenly was very silent -- the guards outside had stopped shouting. 

"So let's see what the matter is!" Cecil said with confidence and stepped fearlessly through the door, his hand gripping firmly the handle of his sword _Legend. He nearly fell over a guard which lay crumpled to his feet - as the young King looked to his left he saw another guard lying on the castle wall with a bleeding nose. The third guard was nowhere to be seen until Cecil heard a soft whimpering from somewhere near his feet - the soldier had fallen in the castle moat..._

The young king looked around but could not spot an attacker...

Suddenly one of the beaten guards coughed: "Your Highness!" and motioned with his hand towards a small group of trees not far away. Upon closer inspection Cecil thought he had spotted something moving behind a tree. 

_"Now that is getting interesting..."_ he thought, gripped his sword even more firmly and motioned the guards to stay behind, which they did only under protest. However, they knew that once their King had decided something, it was impossible to hinder him. Cecil slowly made his way to the trees, cautiously looking to the left and right for more enemies. Suddenly he saw something moving behind one of the trees again!

"Who are you?" he asked loudly. "As the King of Baron I want you to come out and state your business here!"

"As fearless as ever, I see old friend - or should I say Your Highness?" a voice said and a man stepped out from the shadows. Cecil gasped and nearly dropped his sword as he heard the once so familiar voice. Before him stood a young man about his age and only slightly taller, with long, blond hair bound together on his back. Under his old travelers cloak he was wearing simple clothing - a white shirt, black trousers and black, high boots. Though he looked thin and his face showed lines unusual for one so young, one look into the sharp green eyes was sufficient for Cecil:

"Kain!" he stammered " You, you did come back! I...!" 

The paladin stared at his old friend, not really knowing what to say, not really knowing what to do. Finally, he brought forth: "Where - where is your armor?!" 

He hated himself at once for such a dumb question. 

_"What a luck that __Rosa__ is not here..."_

Luckily, Kain did not seem to mind his question: "I threw it away - on Mt . Ordeals ..." he replied calmly, then looked to the ground. "I am no longer a Dragoon - I ..." he too, started to stutter, "I wanted to see you all again, to ... to apologize; to be your friend again and ... and....!" 

Kain suddenly started to laugh - the high-pitched laugh that was so familiar to Cecil who was still staring at his friend in wonder.

"And the first thing I do," Kain laughed louder and louder, "is to beat up the Baron Castle guards..." 

As fast at is had come, Kain's laughing stopped and he fixed Cecil's eyes with an expression of sorrow. "I guess I did everything wrong again, right Cecil?!" he said monotonously.  "I mean how could I even think of coming back here after this long time, pretending that nothing has happened. Because that is not true - too much _has happened."_

He tore his gaze away from the clear, steel blue eyes of his former friend, who watched him silently. 

"You must really hate me Cecil - and I deserve it. I just wanted you to know that I have changed."  He turned away. " Still I should not have come - It was a mistake. I am sorry...!" With bowed head he started to walk away. "Please tell Rosa that I--" 

"Stop it!" Cecil's voice held him back. "Kain! Please look at me!" 

Kain obeyed and looked directly into the face of his friend. It was lit with warmth and joy, though one could easily see that the young King was unsure how to behave. Cecil made a step toward his friends, arms slowly opening.

"It was not a mistake to have come, Kain. How ...how can you say this? It is just ..." He desperately was searching for words: "It is just all so sudden - so ...!"

"Cecil ..." Kain had become very pale and became even paler as Cecil stepped up to him and gave him a hug. 

"Welcome home, Kain!"

Despite the previous thoughts; seeing Kain again had made feel Cecil as happy as he had not been for a long time. He gave his friend, who stared at him wide- eyed, a reassuring smile: "What is the matter Kain? Do I look that bad as a King?" he laughed. "Come on - let's go inside: Rosa sure wants to see you!" 

He took his friend by the shoulder and led him towards the castle.

"Everyone is coming today: Rydia and Yang and all the others. They sure will be very happy to see you again. And don't worry about the guards. They obviously were not the best! There sure is so much to talk about... It..!" 

Cecil began to chatter happily, now and then laughing or tightening his grip around Kain's shoulders just as if to see if the other was still there. It was an unusual behaviour for the King, but the only one he could think of in order to hide his embarrassment and to show the joy about his friend's return.

Kain looked like a ghost and nearly a bit afraid as he looked now and then in Cecil's warm face and then again at the castle...


	3. Chapter 2: A grand entrance

**Chapter 2**

_A grand entrance_

"Rosa dear, where are you? We do have an unexpected guest!" Cecil shouted, as he entered the great hall of the castle, dragging a somewhat shaken looking Kain behind him.

"I am coming, darling!" a voice could be heard from somewhere near. 

Kain flinched - it was Rosa's voice - her sweet, golden voice. Cecil felt his friend stiffen - he thought that Kain was excited and tried to reassure him: "Don't be nervous, Kain. Rosa surely will be very happy to see you!" 

That she was - in fact she was overjoyed: As the young Queen noticed Kain standing behind her husband, she uttered a sound of joy and ran towards him; her long white gown fluttering in all directions. Kain's eyes grew wide as Rosa fell around his neck and planted a big kiss on one of his cheeks.

"Kain - you have come back! We all missed you!" Rosa was still beaming as she finally released her grip.

Cecil had watched the whole scene somewhat surprised - he had not often seen his wife so happy and spontaneous as she looked just now. Still he was glad she obviously held no grudge at all against their old friend - to meet him with trust and friendship was the first step to "normalize" things again. He gave Kain a supporting smile, and motioned him to say something. Kain was still staring wide eyed at Rosa. 

"Well - err ... Rosa! Nice to meet you!" he stuttered. Cecil nearly laughed out loud - seeing Kain in such a state was a rare sight.

"Oh, come on Kain! Don't be so shy!" Cecil gave him a friendly nudge. "Don't look so afraid. It is only us - your friends. Surely you have faced more dangerous things on Mt. Ordeals – haven't you?" he smiled.

"Cecil - it is not the time to make fun of Kain!" Rosa scolded him and looked suddenly very concerned.

"Are you really alright Kain? You sure are tired, aren't you? I will have the maids prepare a room and meal for you - we can talk later..."

She called for the maid and began to pull on his travelers cloak. Cecil, who was still a bit disturbed by the scolding of his wife, gave Kain an apologizing look. He had seldom seen Rosa so hasty and was sure that Kain was feeling a bit "taken by surprise".

Rosa had finally succeeded in removing the cloak and now for the first time seemed to realize the change in Kain's appearance. 

"Kain! Where is your armor?" The blond man just shook solemnly his head. 

"He has thrown it away," Cecil informed her.

Rosa stared at him for a moment and then gave Kain a dazzling smile.

"Really? Oh that is so great - you really look good the way you are now!" She studied him from head to foot. Kain started to blush.

"Rosa, dear!" Cecil said and touched her arm softly. "The maid is coming. Don't you think we should allow our friend some rest?" He began starting to worry about Kain's unusual behaviour, too. 

_"Mt . Ordeals sure can be rough,_ " he thought as he studied the young , blonde man. _" His expression has become so hard ... I wonder what he did experience..._"

He thought of the time as he himself had climbed the mountain to become a paladin...

"Cecil," Rosa broke his thoughts: "I am going with Kain to see to that everything is right!" 

She grabbed Kain by the hand and started to pull him away.

"But Rosa!" Cecil called after her. " Why don't you let the maids do it alone? The first guests will be coming every minute now !" 

Rosa turned around: "Cecil dear - why don't you welcome our friends alone and tell them that I will be coming later? Surely you must understand that your best friend is important as well... Isn't this right, Kain?" She gripped his hand more tightly. 

"Uh... sure!" Kain just shrugged with the shoulders as Rosa dragged him down the hall.

Cecil watched them, puzzled. He sure was glad that Rosa had coped with the return of Kain so well, but now she was acting a little strange...  

_"…that your best friend is important as well !"_ she had said. He felt a great deal of sympathy for Kain, but it was not as it had been several years before. Besides they had not seen each other for a long time now and many things needed to be discussed. Surely Rosa could not have forgotten the things Kain had done - not only because he had been manipulated by the dark side, but also because these feelings of hate and jealousy existed within him. 

_"Maybe she only acts this way to hide her embarrassment ... I hope she is not too badly shaken..."_ Cecil decided to talk to her later about Kain - she sure needed just as he himself someone to talk - seeing Kain must have been a shock for her.

"Your Highness!" shouted a young guard excitedly as he ran towards Cecil. "The first guests have arrived - King Yang accompanied by King Edward of Damycan ..." 

"Thank you, soldier !" Cecil replied and hurried out to the landing place for the airships.

~*~

"Yang! Welcome in Baron!" Cecil embraced the powerful looking King of Fabul.

Even though there was a great turmoil on the landing place with mechanics caring for Yang's airship - a gift from Baron itself- and maids hurriedly showing the crew its quarters, Cecil had at once spotted his old friend. 

Yang wore the colorful clothing which Fabul was famous for and which suited his tall, heavy build stature very well. He had gained some weight though and laughter lines were showing around his sparkling brown eyes - probably the "work" of Yang's wife who was a lively and humorous woman in her best years. 

"Cecil! It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Yang returned the hug friendly. "Well maybe it has not been _such_ a long time, but it surely was too long for me!" He gave the younger King a bright smile. 

Cecil and Yang got along very well - Cecil liked Yang's sincere, honorable and trustworthy way - as everyone had doubted him a year ago, Yang had been one of the first people to trust him fully.

Yang, on the other hand, thought very much of the paladin - though Cecil was much younger than he was, he had very soon become a respected leader and ruler. Seeing during their travels how Cecil had changed from a Dark Knight to a paladin had pleased Yang greatly - he respected Cecil and his views and was happy to see that the other was well.

"Well, Cecil!" a soft voice could be heard behind him: "You must know that Yang only comes to Baron because of your beautiful maids! The Karate fighters at Fabul aren't so lovely ..."

"That's not true Edward!" Yang grinned, but was not offended. " I have the most beautiful women of the world at home! You still know Edward, don't you Cecil? I decided to give him a ride to Baron before his lute gets full of sand on a hovercraft ride!" 

"Very funny!" the young man with the delicate features replied, slightly insulted. As he faced Cecil his eyes started to glow of joy: "Cecil - you look very good! You sure have become a great King!" 

Cecil laughed, "Don't overdo it, Edward! You should look in mirror yourself. Castle Damcyan is nearly rebuild and from what I hear more beautiful than before!"

"Yes, with your help, Cecil - I do not know what we would have done without you..."

Edward admired Cecil very much for the inner strength the white haired half - lunarian seemed to possess. "By the way - where is Rosa?"

"Oh - I nearly forgot!" Cecil admitted sheepishly. "She will welcome you later. You see Kai--" The rest of his sentence was swallowed by the overpowering noise of another airship approaching and the screams that emanated from the vehicle:

"You little brat! You have scorched a hole in the deck!"

"It is not my fault you big oaf - _you_ wanted our arrival to be spectacular!" 

"Palom - apologize at once!"

"I won't - he pushed me intentionally as I was preparing my spell!" 

**Puff!**

"Ouch!" 

"That serves you right you would-be-wizard: I will show you how to do it correctly!"

"NO! DON'T !"

"Don't worry - it is only a smoke ball - we will land in Baron in a cloud of mist and then _I - the great King of Eblan will step out of the shadows and ..." _

"NO! DON'T THROW IT - it is not a smoke ball but a grena--"

BOOOMMM!

An explosion rocked the ship, followed by a smoke cloud. Trying not to panic, Cecil called some of his men to him - just in case for whatever... 

"Cough , cough! Well - there is your smoke, you dummy! Now look at the hole you've made!" 

"Ugh - I knew from the beginning that it had been a mistake to take you with me - I am giving you the honor to ride on an airship to Baron and how do you repay me - instead of casting some fireworks you nearly destroyed my ship! Kids! Nothing but trouble!" 

"Now look who's talking! I at least _can _distinguish between a smoke ball and a grenade!" 

"Palom!"

"What's going on here? Are we here yet?"

"Whoops! Master…"

"Err, Elder is everything alright?"

Obviously the airship possessed a very skilled captain -- so it could not be Edge as Yang remarked-- and made a very smooth landing despite the "problems" on deck.

Edge was standing on solid ground first, clothes slightly burnt and his face full of ash.

"Uh hello!" he shouted. "Great scene, hmm?"

He blinked at the three men which were looking at him with wide eyes. 

"Hey - er... where's Rydia?" Edge asked, and sounded somewhat disappointed.

"Master Edge - you really are impolite!" scolded the little girl named Porom as she climbed down the ladder. She carefully tried to clean her hands and face as best as she could with a little handkerchief, before she joined Cecil and the others. She politely addressed each one of them and thanked for the invitation: "Please excuse the behaviour of Master Edge, but you know how he is... I just hope Palom..." 

"HEY - long time no see, dude!" a child's voice shouted behind her. A little boy, also covered with ash from head to toe, shoved Porom aside, grabbed Cecil's hand and started to shake it wildly: 

"Great show, huh! I bet you sure are glad to see me again man!"

"Palom – it's Your Highness !" hissed his sister. 

"Sure, whatever !"

"...I am in fact glad to see you all whole and healthy after this... accident in the sky!" laughed Cecil, while he was desperately trying to clean his hands from the dust. Luckily, Porom gave him a helping hand .

"Edge - nice to see you too! Rydia will arrive tomorrow - you know that the journey from the underworld up here is a difficult one..."

"Yes, I understand…" Edge muttered. "She could have asked me. I'd gladly given her a ride!" he said, sounding hurt. 

"It is good that only we had to witness your great scene, Master Edge!" a very old and wise sounding voice uttered: "I should have taken the Serpent Road as planned!"

The Elder of Mysidia joined the group of friends. After a short exchange of compliments between him and Cecil, the group went into the castle, chatting lively. 

After all had their rooms shown, Rosa finally appeared, followed by Kain, who now seemed to be in better spirits and even smiled a bit. All reacted very friendly towards him - even Edge who normally was not very gentle. Cecil was glad that all had taken the Dragoon again in their middle so fast. Rosa did not leave Kain's side for a minute and looked as if she would kill anyone insulting their friend right away. Her husband secretly wondered if she didn't exaggerate a bit - surely Kain could take care of himself and no one here wanted him something bad...


	4. Chapter 3: Dinner for dragons

**Chapter 3**

_Dinner for dragons_

Cecil knew that he was doomed. Desperately he surveyed the long table in the richly decorated dining hall of Baron. But there was no one there to help him: Edward and Yang were politely chatting with the Elder of Mysidia, while Palom was throwing bread balls across the table at Edge, who reacted in throwing a not ending line of insults at the little boy.

Porom alternately hit her brother and tried to reassure the Elder that they were behaving correctly...

Cecil tried to get support from his wife, who was sitting next to him, but Rosa was deeply engaged in a talk with Kain and did not seem to notice him. He was lost! Slowly he turned to his left and faced the elderly woman with a hawk - like nose, who eagerly devoured her second potion of roasted chocobo. It was Margaret Farrel - Rosa's mother and probably one of the few people on this world which he really hated - and feared.

"Say boy... Isn't this King Yang of Fabul ?" She pointed with her fork at the end of the table. Not waiting for an answer she continued in her high pitched voice: "I've heard that he is a wonderful husband - he sure cares very well for his wife..."

Cecil tried to look friendly, but only managed a pained smile: " Yes Ma'am - they sure are a happy couple." Though he was a King; Cecil always called Margaret "Ma'am" - he had done so since he could think of it; and she had never offered him to call her by her name or else.

Margaret gave him a penetrating look, which always made him nervous:

"Yes, I thought so. He sure looks like a man who can take responsibility - one who would never leave his wife alone to go adventuring..." She eyed him from the side. 

_"No she is starting with THAT again..."_ Cecil sighed. Even though he knew what was coming next, he tried to stay as patient and friendly as possible: "Well you see Ma'am- in fact Yang already _was married the time we fought together and __had to leave his wife for a while - in dire situations one has to--" _

"Silence!" Margaret snapped and gave him a fierce look. She leant closer to him and hissed: "At least he took care to ensure the safety of his wife while he was away - she surely did not became sick or was brutally kidnapped..." 

Ouch! There she had him again! The main reason Rosa's mother hated him was because she blamed him for the dangers Rosa had to face one year ago and she would let no opportunity slip to confront him with these fact. Even so, her accusations hurt every time - partly because Cecil felt responsible for the things Rosa had faced, himself...

He glanced at his wife, who was still chatting happily with Kain, uttering a clear laugh now and then, cheeks red, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling -- she sometimes seemed so carefree. Cecil could not help but wonder if he had not been able to do more for her back then as Kain had kidnapped her; even though Rosa always reassured him that the whole thing had not been his fault. Even thinking of what could had happened if he had not saved her in time, before the giant scythe of the Tower of Bab-il had reached her, made him feel completely down again and he slightly bowed his head. Rosa's mother was content with that. Seeing her son- in-law sitting beside her like an arrested criminal waiting for the sentence always made her happy. She stuffed another piece of chocobo in her mouth and began to chew happily.

"Are you all right, boy?" she asked after a while to make things "perfect". "Tired? I mean, that would only be natural - being a King AND a husband at so young an age as you are surely is difficult... I DO understand very well that you must think you can't cope with it!" She watched him like a snake its dinner. 

Cecil gave a help-searching look in Rosa's direction - she knew that when he looked that way her mother was going too far and usually started to calm her down a bit. But Rosa was so busy talking with Kain that she did not even notice him. Somehow this angered Cecil. As he thought about defending himself, his eyes met with Cid's at the end of the table. His old friend obviously had noticed the situation his friend and King was in, and he gave him a reassuring nod. Cecil decided to take this as an encouragement to "attack":

"Well, excuse me Margaret!" His tone was now sharper than it had been before "I surely have made mistakes but I do not feel overtaxed in the least with my work and my life - if you are worried about your daughter, I ...." 

"ACHOO!" Margaret disrupted him with a loud sneeze. " Achoo, achoo .."

As she did not stop sneezing; Cecil asked - already a bit impatiently "Are you all right?" 

"No! Achoo - were did the flowers in my room came from?" 

"The flowers..." Cecil reflected: "Well, Rosa and I selected them especially for you!" 

In fact he had bought his mother-in-law the greatest and most beautiful flower bouquet one could buy for money. 

"Ah! Achoo! I knew it. Achoo. You want to kill me! I am allergic to these... achoo... flowers!" She gave him an evil stare - with her now red nose she reminded Cecil of some of the mean, little goblins he had fought once.

"You must be kidding, Ma'am!" Cecil was getting impatient: "Just a few minutes ago you were all sound and healthy and now..." He looked at her plate. "Maybe you are allergic to chocobos!" He had to hold back laughter. 

"You!" Margaret just snorted angrily and then started to call for water. Cecil used this moment to nudge Rosa softly in the side:

"Mmmh..." Rosa looked at him surprised: "What is it?"

"Rosa. Your mother is really getting on my nerves - if she does not stop soon complaining I can guarantee for nothing. I'd much rather like to talk to the others, too..."

"Please Cecil. Someone has to take care of her - she does not know all these people..."

"Can't you..."

"Darling - I haven't seen Kain for such a long time - just a bit longer..." With that, she turned to Kain, again.

With a sigh Cecil turned back and rested his head in his hands: "Why am I doing that anyway..." he muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Margaret had stopped drinking.

"NO!" Cecil said harshly. "If you just could please shut your mouth for a moment ..."

Margaret gave a gasp of surprise - he had never heard Cecil talking to her that way. With a loud "harrumph" she started to eat her dessert. 

_"Silence at last - her voice can kill people!"_ Cecil thought relieved, wondering how easy it had been to silence her - he did not even had to become too insulting. 

As he watched the old woman eating her dish out of the corners of his eye, he slowly calmed down. Somehow she looked very frail - he wondered how old she was ... As a paladin he tried to be free of negative emotions like hate or anger as best as he could - with Rosa's mother it did never work... She could not be a really bad person - Cecil could mostly feel the aura a person emanated - in Margaret's case he felt nothing - neither bad nor good. Rosa had once told Cecil that her mother missed her husband very much: Rosa's father had been a knight like Cecil once was and had disappeared during a mission some years ago. Margaret loved Rosa very much and probably feared that her daughter might get left alone, too.

_"Deep in her heart she really likes you."_ Rosa always told him. In fact, when Margaret was together with Rosa she seemed like a nice person. 

_"Maybe I really remind her of her husband?"_ Cecil shuddered at the thought. _"I am not sure if_ _he disappeared accidentally_..." He chuckled slightly.

"What is so funny?" Margaret asked sharply.

The next stage of the drama began:

"Well what I have always wanted to ask you my dear son in law: Is it really true that you are half Lunarian?"

Cecil became cautious. Why the sudden interest in his heritage? 

"Yes - my father is a man called Klu Ya from the moon!" he answered not without pride.

"Oh - you poor boy ...It sure is hard then to live on the blue planet with all these foreign rules and..." 

Cecil interrupted her:" I have lived her all my life - I am as human as you are!"

He asked himself how human this old dragon really was... 

"I wonder what children of Half - Lunarians are like ..."

Cecil felt the blood rushing into his cheeks: "They are pretty normal!"

Margaret did not seem to listen:

"Well, well if this is not King Edward!" she said, pointing at the bard: "Now THAT is a man with talents - his parents sure educated him well and he is a great musician - you must admit that this is something completely different than being a paladin - I mean climbing a mountain and stealing a sword from a holy shrine isn't something very ..." 

"NOW THIS IS ENOUGH!" Cecil now was really furious: "Who do you think I am? Becoming a paladin is not that easy - it is a holy process in which you have to face yourself - if _you _would care to look in the mirror you would see your evil sides too! Let's end this for once and for all:" 

_"First_: I do love your daughter more than my live and never wanted to place her in danger and I am sorry for the things that happened!"

_"Second_: I may be a Half-Lunarian but I am NOT a monster! I am as normal as everyone else!" 

"_Third: I am really tired of this mindless quarrelling and would very much welcome it if you could - just for once - behave like a normal, civilized person. I haven't even had the time to talk to any of my friends for nearly TWO HOURS because you DO NOT STOP TO ANNOY ME!" _

_"Whew_ !" Cecil thought "_That felt good_ ..."

He suddenly realized that the buzz of conversation in the hall had stopped and everyone was looking at him. Then he realized that he was standing and probably had been shouting all the time... 

"Cecil!" Rosa hissed beside him in a tone he had never heard from her: "Are you mad?" 

Kain just stared at him, while Palom started to giggle: "Hey - he really gave it to her, didn't he!"

"Palom!" Porom scolded, but had to giggle herself.

"Wow! Cecil !" Edge was the first to speak aloud. "I did not know you could be so - so impulsive!" He started to laugh, too.

Cecil did not feel like laughing: "I am sorry - I guess I am a bit nervous... Kain's return, you all here..." 

He looked apologetically, but did not dare to face Margaret beside him. 

Suddenly Cid started to laugh out loud too: "No need to apologize your Highness! No offense meant Lady, but we really had already wondered how long Cecil would bear your insults ..." 

Cecil now realized all people around the table had trouble to suppress their laughter, even the Elder grinned... Suddenly they all burst out laughing! Before Cecil could apologize again, Margaret had left the room... 

"You really went to far..." Cecil scolded his friends. 

"Who started it, my dear friend?" Edward asked cheerfully: "Do not worry - tomorrow we will talk with her about it, but for now you should relax and drink something with us!" 

"Hey Cecil - it is just normal to lose your temper now and then. This lady is just not fair…" Edge argued. "I mean- you have done so much for the Kingdom and all of us here and you are a great husband as well - being patient with the old dragon for so long ..."

Cecil was probably the only man Edge had ever praised besides himself...

"I fear I have hurt her feelings..." Cecil had found back to his normal self and now somewhat felt ashamed.

"I don't think so!" Yang said. "She looks tough – isn't she Rosa?"

Cecil noticed just now, that Rosa had been the only one not laughing besides him and Kain... 

She stood up: "You think that you are very funny, right? Self assured as always ... This is so embarrassing!" 

She gave an angry glance in the surprised round and then fixated Cecil, who looked at her sorrowfully. "And you! You had promised to stay calm ... This will have consequences ..." She gave him another fierce look and then grabbed Kain by the arm: "Come one Kain - I am sorry that you had to witness such idiotic behaviour just the day of your return ..."

She rushed out of the room, followed by him. Cecil could not believe what had happened and stared just like the others after the delicate Queen of Baron in total amazement.

"Uh - seems that Rosa isn't _that understanding at all..." Cid remarked after a while._

"Maybe you should try to talk with her?" Yang proposed carefully.

"Wrong answer!" proclaimed Edge who had obviously already drunk a lot: "As a LADY'S man I can give you only ONE advise, Cecil: LEAVE HER ALONE - that makes the women nervous and the soon are SOFT AS BUTTER again - trust my experience ..."

"What experience?!" Palom murmured: "I heard that Miss Rydia nearly turned you into a frog as you--" 

"You little brat!" Edge hissed with a red face.

Cecil still stared at the door through which Rosa had left.

"I think I will go look for her!" he said absent-mindedly, then, with a look at Edge, continued in a sharper voice: "Please behave yourself ..."

He left the room. 

On the hallway he met Kain " Have... have you seen Rosa?"

"She's in your room ... Seems pretty upset ..." Kain answered with a slight grin. He obviously had recovered his wit and the self-assurance very fast, but Cecil had other problems at the moment.

"I guess I went too far this time ... I am off trying to save what's to left to save ..." he tried to sound funny but only managed a helpless grin.

Kain watched him surprisingly cold for a moment then suddenly cracked a smile of his own: "Yep - good luck Cecil ..." He went into the castle wing where his room was located.

As Cecil entered the Royal Quarters, Rosa was about to brush her long, golden hair. She only gave him a sharp glance.

"Rosa - listen ..." Cecil started hastily. " I am sorry - we are all sorry. I know that I have been too harsh to Margaret but this time she really... "

"She really went too far. Yes, I know …" Rosa finished his sentence with a sigh. "I've talked with her ... It really wasn't nice what she said to you but still ..."

She studied her husband for a moment with an angry look but then softened her gaze:

"Ah - the heck with it - just don't do it again ... I guess we have trouble enough with Edge being here and the children - no use in us having a quarrel just now ..."

She gave him a slight smile.

"Thank you Rosa... "Cecil said, rather surprised by the sudden change of heart by his wife. Somehow this all went too fast and he decided to talk out things straight: "I am glad you try to understand, but please let me explain my situation - you see as you and Kain ..." 

"What is with Kain?" Rosa suddenly started to yawn. "Hmm - I feel so tired – let's talk about it tomorrow - alright Cecil?" She started to change for the night.

"But ..." Cecil protested. Rosa ignored him and blew out the candles: "Good night!" she lay down on the bed, rolled over and was asleep after a few moments, leaving Cecil standing alone in the darkness...


	5. Chapter 4: The purple dance

**Chapter 4**

_The purple dance_

The ball had already started and still, Rosa was nowhere to be seen. Cecil leant back in his chair, his official golden cloak draped around his shoulders and surveyed the colourful crowd dancing in Baron's great hall.

He had not seen his wife for nearly the whole day now, which was not really that unusual as the young King of Baron himself had been very busy and had also spent some time with his old friends - except for Kain, who had been amiss the whole morning. 

_"He sure wanted to explore his old home_..." Cecil thought.

He suddenly spotted Edge and some young noble girls standing in one corner talking, though Edge looked rather nervous and did not seem to take much interest in the discussion. 

_"He sure is waiting for Rydia ... I wonder why she is so late ..._" Cecil frowned.

"Everything alright, my dear?" a friendly voice asked. Rosa was standing beside him.

"Oh Rosa - I already wondered where you were ..."

"Oh - I had to help Kain to dress!" she motioned towards the far end of the room, where Kain was standing, wearing a sparkling uniform of red and gold and who was now wearing his thick hair openly.

"You sure did a great work - he really looks good ..."

Rosa giggled: "Oh by the way - your speech this morning was really good, as well!"

Cecil beamed happily. "You heard it? I missed you at my side... "

"Of course I did hear it!" Rosa gave him a surprised look. "I just thought you wouldn't need my help – and in fact you did just fine alone."

"I didn't mean it _that way!" Cecil murmured, feeling a bit angry again - and was ashamed for that feeling just two seconds later. He decided to make Rosa a pleasure: _

"Care to dance, Milady?!" He stood up and bowed before her.

"Sure!" Rosa happily clapped her hands together like a little girl. She smiled: "I thought you hated dancing!" 

"I do!" Cecil laughed: "But dancing with you is only half as bad!" 

She had to laugh, too and playfully pushed him a bit. 

_"I guess she really isn't upset any longer!"_ Cecil thought relieved as he led his wife to the dance floor.

"Isn't that Rydia?!" Rosa proclaimed suddenly and motioned towards the great front door of the hall.

Cecil immediately spotted the dainty emerald-haired girl in her green-silvery silk dress. "Would you wait just a moment? I just want to say hello to her!" he asked. 

"Sure! You two haven't seen each other for a long time now and I know how deep your friendship has become!" Rosa repeated, smiling, and gave him a slight push.

Cecil had not expected any other reaction from his wife - they both had taken Rydia very much into their hearts. She nearly had become something like a little sister for Cecil and that not only because he still felt indebted towards her, but also because of her intelligent and friendly being. As Rydia caught sight of the young paladin a smile flashed across her normally rather sad looking face and she began to wave and shout wildly:

"Hey Cecil! Sorry I did come too late, but my journey took longer than expected!" 

She gathered her green robes and started running towards him. Half - the way she ran into a pretty looking red-haired girl and sent both crashing to the ground. Cecil uttered a sound of worry and was besides the two in a second, helping them up. Rydia fell around his neck at once.

"Thanks Cecil!" she exclaimed happily and planted a kiss on his cheek, then faced the red-haired girl: "Sorry about that!"

"Don't worry! Diane is a tough one - with that family... Isn't it so?" Cecil laughed.

The red-haired girl smoothed her simple, but very elegant looking dress and uttered a natural laugh which suited her very well: "Don't let my father hear that, Cecil!" 

"Diane?" Rydia look questioningly and gave Cecil a punch in the side, "Don't tell me that this is Edge's new girlfriend?" She nearly looked a bit nervous.

"No, no! I meant another family. Diane - this is Rydia of Mist, one of our dearest companions during the war, Rydia- this is Diane, the daughter of Cid ..." Cecil exclaimed, sounding as officially as he could. 

Rydia smiled surprised: "You are Cid's daughter? Well, nice to meet you - and my sympathy..." She cheerfully offered her a hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, Rydia ..." Diane laughed friendly: "Cecil and Cid have told me much about you - I am very proud to meet you in person, finally! Maybe we could have a talk sometime?" she asked a bit shyly.

"Sure!" Rydia exclaimed. "I would like to do this very much - let's say tomorrow after breakfast?" 

"That sounds great!" Diane beamed happily. "See you later!" She made a curtsey and turned away. 

"She seems to be a very nice person, Cecil ... Do you know her well?" 

"I know her since we were kids, but I really do not know much about her - her mother died at an early age and she had to take care of the whole household - you know how chaotic Cid can be. She has always been rather quiet and shy but also very competent ... I think she is a great person. Maybe you will become friends?"

"Yes that could be possible," Rydia nodded. "But for now I have my friends right here!" She squeezed his hand affectionately. 

"Where's Rosa?" 

"I was wondering that myself - the last time I saw her she was standing right there..." Cecil surveyed the crowd. 

"By the way - have you already said hello to Edge? He had asked for you every hour since his arrival - he is so lovesick that he did not even drink his normal whiskey and milk this morning ..." Cecil said accusingly, and tried to suppress laughter.

Rydia rolled her eyes. "Whiskey and milk - this man's just ... I don't know what - I can't think of an insult worse enough. Anyway - I better go talk to him before he molests some castle maids in his despair. I'll meet you again in a minute - try to find Rosa, will you? I 'd like to say hello to her, too!"

She straightened herself as if readying for battle and went off. Cecil returned to his seat on the other end of the hall, searching with his eyes for his wife. After a while he spotted her: 

She was dancing - with Kain... 

Cecil fell back in his seat, cupped his chin in his palm and watched his wife whirling through the room, her long golden hair fluttering, blue eyes sparkling, cheeks red of excitement, laughing quietly now and then. Kain, who was looking very impressive in his clothing, was laughing too, holding her tenderly. Cecil knew that, in contrast to him, Kain was a very good dancer. Even now he couldn't help but wonder in amazement how safe he was leading Rosa. As he continued to watch the two he suddenly realized for the first time that Rosa didn't wear one of her usual simple, but very elegant and noble looking white gowns - instead she wore a dazzling, very expensive and exciting looking red dress which was decorated with golden ornaments.

He wondered why he had never seen this before and had to frown. _"Doesn't she like the dresses I order for her?"_

Somehow her behaviour during the last days started to worry him...

_"Since Kain has returned ..."_

"Whew - what a buffoon!" Rydia fell with a loud sigh into the seat next to him. "You know Cecil - you could really teach Edge some manners of how to treat a lady ..." she said. 

"Mmmh..." Cecil was still watching his dancing friends. 

"Hey Cecil - you are not listening, are you?" Rydia pushed him into the side. 

"Hmm - what are you looking at?" She surveyed the crowd on the dance floor.

"Them…" Cecil motioned towards his wife.

Rydia gave a gasp of surprise "Why - it is Kain ..." She suddenly seemed very serious. "I didn't know he had returned ..."

Cecil shortly informed her about the happenings during the past few days, but did not even stop once watching the two dance.

Rydia felt that her friend was worried somehow. "Mmm - I see. Must have been quite a surprise for you too. Oh!" She grabbed two glasses of wine from the tray of a servant and pushed one in Cecil's hand.

"You look pale - drink something - maybe it will cheer you up?" 

She herself started to swallow the red liquid greedily.

"Thanks…" Cecil finally succeeded in tearing his gaze from the couple on the dance floor - he also had the feeling he needed a drink.

"You look concerned, too..." he said, watching Rydia staring dully at her glass.

The green haired caller blinked at him in surprise: " No – it's nothing. I just didn't think Kain would be able to cope up with his past so soon - I mean after what he has done ..."

Cecil wondered how much Rydia blamed Kain for the death of her mother - besides he had wanted to kill her back then in her destroyed village. 

"Rosa seems to enjoy herself ..." Rydia stated and looked at Cecil.

"Yeah - I guess she prefers Kain as a dancer over me ..." He tried to sound amused.

Rydia giggled. "Oh - you sure have other qualities!" then got serious again as she saw that Cecil had not listened to her. 

"Rosa must really be a strong person - I mean being able to treat Kain so nicely again after all he did to you both ..." She studied Cecil, waiting for his reaction.

"Yeah - she is great. Kain will soon feel completely at home again. Still ..." He paused and watched the pair again. "I hope she does not take too much on her..."

"Always the worrier!" Rydia smiled and stood up. "You need some cheering up! Come on, let's dance!" She started to pull on his shirt.

"Rydia!" Cecil laughed, but was looking a bit embarrassed: "You know I can't ..." 

"Ah don't worry about that!" Rydia replied with a cheerful smile "I can dance - can I? I'll lead..." She cooked her head to one side and blinked at him. "Let's show everyone what real action means!" 

"Alright!" Cecil laughed and rose as well. "Mmmh- but I'd like to know one thing before..." 

"Yes, Cecil?" Rydia asked surprised.

"How do you like Rosa's dress?"

"Her WHAT?" Rydia changed quick glances between the red gown of the Queen of Baron and her friend, wondering if he wanted to tease her and then started to laugh:

"You really are strange today asking me such a stupid question! Come on - the music won't play forever!"

"No, really, how--!" Cecil protested, but had already been pushed on the dance floor.

Luckily, Rydia was a patient teacher and soon the paladin managed at least some half - way elegant dance steps.

"See! It isn't so difficult at all!" Rydia shouted, and laughed - she was no doubt enjoying dancing with the young paladin. Cecil smiled at her and then spotted Rosa and Kain whirling around not far away from them. His wife was totally absorbed in the dance and did not notice her husband.

_"Rydia is right - she really is a strong person!"_ he thought. _"I wonder how she was able to forget so soon..."_


	6. Chapter 5: Shaking the earth

**Chapter 5**

_Shaking the earth_

Cecil did not feel very well this morning. Balls always seemed to tire him out. Even after one year being the King of Baron he still had not gotten used to the great crowds of people he had to face sometimes... Rosa, on the contrary, had been up very early, although she had come into bed as Cecil had already been asleep. He wondered to where she and Kain had disappeared to after the ball last night...

In the dining room he met Edward and Yang.

"Good morning, Cecil!" Edward smiled. "Did you drink too much wine yesterday? You look a bit exhausted..."

"Yeah, maybe..." Cecil lied and flashed a quick grin. 

"Well, Edge surely had too much alcohol last night!" Yang stated. "Cid and I had to carry him to his room - he was really drunk, babbling something about Rydia all the time ..."

"Where is Rydia anyway?" Cecil looked around. 

"Oh, she left for a walk with Diane this morning. They seem to get along just fine. "

"That's good to hear - so have you had breakfast already?"

"No, we were waiting for you to join us ..."

 "That was very nice of you!" Cecil smiled and called the maid. Being together with his friends made him feel better somehow.

"_Rosa sure will have more time for them the next day - after all the ball has been a most exciting event .._." he thought as he settled in a chair. 

BANG! 

Suddenly the door to the dining room swung open with a loud crash.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" A young man in silver armor burst into the room, face red of effort, followed by two distressed looking Baron guards. 

"This man said he had a very important message to give to you, Your Highness!" one guard stated with a deep bow. "We could not prevent him from entering..." He gave his liege a helpless look.

Cecil rose from his chair as well as Yang and Edge did. He frowned, and then waved away the two guards. "It's all right - you're dismissed." Secretly he decided to inspect the barracks really soon - the Baron guards really weren't trained well. He made a step towards the man in silver armor, who had fallen down to one knee, head bowed.

"You may stand up!" Cecil exclaimed friendly. "You're a Silverian Messenger, aren't you?" 

"Yes I am, Your Highness!" the youth exclaimed proudly, though worry was mirrored in his expression. "I've got to tell you very dire news, Your Highness!"

Yang and Edward exchanged nervous glances. Cecil tried to stay calm. "What is it? Please speak up." 

_"What could happen in these times of peace?"_

"Just a few hours ago an earthquake shook the town and island of Agart ..." the youth began. 

"Well that's something pretty normal ..." Yang remarked. "It has to do with the entrance of the underworld which is near Agart - the people there are used to earthquakes."

"You are correct King Yang," the guard bowed before him. "But this was not an usual earthquake..." he dropped his head and continued in a lower, sad stricken voice, "it was the strongest earthquake the island has ever experienced- the tremor was still perceptible in Silvera and Mysidia... We do not know how many people died, but it could be hundreds..." Cecil got pale and stared at the messenger in disbelief. Edward had problems holding back the tears – any misery always concerned him greatly. Yang had his head bowed. 

"This - this is not possible ..." Cecil murmured, an expression of sorrow and grief on his face. Inside his head, the thoughts were racing. _"Now you just stay calm - he said he doesn't know how many people have died, so there's still hope."_ He tried to pull himself together 

"We have to stay calm and plan our next actions, quickly!" he finally said in a low voice giving a quick glance towards Yang and Edward, which nodded in agreement. 

"We need to send a rescue team to Agart right away!" the King of Baron continued. "What nations else do know of the catastrophe and can help?" 

The messenger reflected for a moment. "Since we heard that the rulers of Damcyan, Eblana and Fabul were residing at Castle Baron at the moment, we thought it best to visit you at first. Tororia is too far away, but the Mysidian wizards have already started to investigate the reason for the earthquake. On my voyage here, I shortly stopped in Mysidia - a group of Mysidian scholars will be arriving here soon - obviously they have discovered something..."

"We can use the Baronian airships to scan the area of the disaster by air..." Cecil proposed. "I'll send for Cid right away..."

"I will send a message to my wife, telling her to mobilize Fabul's fleet!" Yang added. "Maybe some people were able to flee on ships and are drifting across the ocean ..." 

"Can't we do more?" Edward was feeling miserable.

"What is going on here?" Rydia had entered the room and looked at them questioningly. 

Cecil filled her in quickly, but as gentle as possible. Rydia's eyes grew wide: "That's... that's horrible ... We must do something, Cecil!" 

"We are already did, Rydia..." Cecil held her at her shoulders, trying to steady her as he feared she might faint. His fears were unnecessary: Rydia pulled herself together very quickly and started to ponder over something -- obviously the time in the Underworld had made her tougher. 

"Wait!" she suddenly exclaimed. "What about King Giott? The Dwarfs have many tools for digging - they sure could save the buried people and help rebuilding the town. Let's send a message right away!" She was about to leave, as the Silverian messenger stopped her:

"Milady – there's no use in sending a message..."

"No use? Do you think the King wouldn't help us? Of course he will - Cecil has helped him, too!" Rydia was totally upset.

"No it's not that ..." the messenger continued. "It is just that no message will reach him - as far as we know, the entrance to the Underworld near Agart has been buried completely, thus preventing any contact between the two planes. Maybe forever..." He looked at her, apologetically.

"Rydia!" Cecil caught the limp form of the girl as she slumped down with a gasp. "Are you all right ?" He carefully stroked her cheek. "Please – don't panic. Everything will be alright. I am sure we will find a way to open the path again, when things have calmed a bit. We did it once – don't you remember?" he told her with a low, gentle voice, trying to calm her. It worked. Rydia slowly relaxed.

"Yes - you are right, Cecil. I am sure we will find a way - for us nothing is impossible...right?" She managed a shy smile. 

"That's the right spirit! Can you stand?" Cecil was happy that he had been able to calm the girl so fast - he himself felt worn out pretty much and had a hard time staying calm.

"So, Your Highness - your orders?" Yang looked at him as well as Edward. 

Even though they all were rulers themselves, they obviously wanted Cecil to lead them. The King of Baron first wanted to protest, but as he also saw Rydia giving him a supporting smile, thought otherwise. 

"Alright! Edward - you find Cid and tell him to get the airships ready - try to wake up Edge as well... Yang - you send a message to your wife to ready Fabul's fleet as quickly as possible. Rydia, are you still strong enough to get in telepathic contact with Queen Asura and Leviathan?" Rydia nodded. "Fine, ask them about the situation down there - maybe they even know another way down. Meanwhile, I will inform the Mysidian Elder about the situation - he has great experience and sure can help..." He looked at the messenger: "You will accompany me - please fill me in on every detail ..."

"As you wish, Your Highness!" 

Everyone went to work…

~*~

Two hours later, a meeting was held at Castle Baron to which even Edge, looking battered and tired, appeared. Rosa and Kain were missing, though - Cecil had not found his wife and had ordered someone to look for her. Quickly everyone gave a short report. Cid's men had already started to ready the airships, though things were going slow due to the mess Edge had caused at the landing place. Yang suspected that it would take a day until Fabul's fleet was ready, as well. Also, to everyone's relief, Rydia had succeeded in contacting the Land of Summoned monsters. With a pale and tired looking face, she reported that everything was alright there - messengers would be sent to check the dwarven towns and fairy dwellings as well as the buried opening to the upper world. The Elder of Mysidia, who was sitting next to Cecil, promised to do everything that was in Mysidia's might to help the people - still one had to wait for the Mysidian delegation to arrive in Baron to get to know more of the situation.

"I am sure that we still can save much!" the old man exclaimed. "Good work so far, gentlemen!"

"Yes - good work - especially you, Cecil ! It is just luck that you did not loose your nerves and acted so quickly - could have been me ..." Edge added, feeling he should say something, too.

"Oh, just WHO wrecked the landing place so that the start of the airships will take a while?" Cid inquired.

"Well--" Edge started.

"King Cecil - the messengers of Mysidia have just arrived together with a group of Agartian scholars which were visiting Mysidia to the time of the disaster. They are waiting at the throne room!" 

"I am coming at once!" Cecil rose from his seat.

"Cid," he looked at his old friend pleadingly, "please try to find Rosa for me ... She really should be there, too!"

Cid gave a quick nod and hurried away.

Yang obviously felt that Cecil was worried. "I guess there's no need for all of us to accompany Cecil - too many people will only cause more chaos!" He looked at Edge who tried to ignore the hint.

"Yang is right," Edward agreed. "I think he is enough - you two can fill us in later."

"So then it's set."

The Elder, Yang, Cecil and the messenger hurried to the meeting place.

The delegation was already there: Two seriously looking female White Wizards, accompanied by two Black Wizards, one of them being not older than 16. Next to them two learned looking men with a somewhat shaken expression were standing. Their red robes made them recognizable as Agartian scholars. As Cecil and the others entered the room and went in the direction of the throne, the group of people fell to one knee, except for two of the wizards - one being the young one. Cecil wasn't bothered in the least, smiled and motioned the others to stand up. 

"No time for formalities," Cecil said. "Please be so kind to fill us in on the situation..." _"I wonder where __Rosa__ is?"_ he thought, somewhat missing her normal support. 

"Certainly, Your Highness! We are very grateful for your interest in this matter, " one of the female wizards exclaimed though did not look at him, but at the Elder.

Cecil noticed this. "_I wonder if the Mysidians still hate me? Or are they afraid ?_ _Asking a man who helped killing some dozens townspeople for help isn't something very easy_..." 

But at the moment, there was no time for such thoughts.

"We've already sent some wizards towards the side - it seems that great parts of the town were destroyed, though due to the cautious behaviour of the townspeople which are used to earthquakes, most people survived. The number of victims may even be under 10, though many people are hurt."

Cecil gave a sigh of relief, "It's good to hear that not too many lives were lost ... We have good trained White Mages at Baron - they will be leaving on airships very soon and help your people tending the injured."

"Well - seems the situation isn't as dire as expected," Yang said hopefully. "Remains only the problem with the buried entrance to the Underworld. Hmm - any idea what caused this earthquake anyway? Probably it just had natural reasons - an underwater volcano maybe?" he suspected. 

The wizards and the scholars started to exchange nervous glances. The young black wizard was the first to speak: "In fact we DO know what has caused the earthquake and unfortunately it isn't natural at all!" He suddenly stared as Cecil hatefully.

The young King, somewhat surprised by this openly showed sign of anger, felt suddenly very nervous. _"I wonder what the problem is - I wish __Rosa__ was here_..." 

"What do you mean it's not natural?" he asked, and threw a harsh look to the wizard which left the youth unimpressed. Before the boy could start again, one of the scholars interrupted him. "Well, Your Highness - you see, even in the days _before the collapse we noticed some unusual things... "_

"Like?" Cecil felt himself getting impatient. _"There's something clearly wrong..."_

"Haven't you felt the increase of black magic energy in the air lately?"

Cecil and Yang shook their heads.

"Well that possibly has to do with the fact that we two are not well versed in the ways of Magic - maybe Lady Rydia did feel more..."Yang objected.

"And you, King Cecil? As a Paladin you should be very receptive for vibrations of any kind – didn't you felt somewhat strange during the last days?"

Cecil frowned. "As if something was wrong? Well I surely had this feeling now and then but..." He wanted to add that he was feeling very distressed lately, but was cut off by the sudden outburst of one older black wizard, a sturdy man with a long beard.

"Lets stop with this and play our cards open ..." His companions said nothing.

"Let's put this straight. The earthquake at Agart was not the first during the last weeks - there had been unusual many and sea-level seems to have risen... We've already faced this situation once..."

He looked at Cecil meaningfully. 

The young King felt how the blood left his face. "You mean ..."

"Yes, the Lunarian moon has returned again ..."

"So soon?" the Elder gasped. "We thought his orbit around the blue planet would last at least 50 years!"

"We thought so too, honourable Elder!" the scholar continued. "But there is no doubt - the moon is about to return - it was already in reach for our telescopes."

_"Golbez!"_ Cecil thought. "So - so you believe it's the fault of the moon that Agart was buried by an earthquake? Somehow that makes no sense. "

"I agree." Yang added "We can not sure if there's a connection between the two incidents - maybe it's just a coincidence that the moon is returning just now ..."

The older Black Wizard raised a brow: "Unlikely. Well - we also have an increase in monsters around the Mysidian area. The town was attacked by monsters twice last week ..." 

Cecil looked at the Elder in surprise. "You didn't tell me you had problems, Elder..."

The old man escaped his gaze. "Err - there was no need for you to know - killing them was no big deal for our trained wizards - besides we still did not know were they came from."

Since the defeat of Zeromus on year ago monster attacks had become very rare. 

"We know where they came from, Elder ..." one of the female wizards said, suddenly sounding nervous again. "They are coming from Mt . Ordeals ..."

"WHAT?" Cecil and Yang exclaimed at once.

"That is not possible!" the Paladin said with widened eyes. "It is a holy site! In times of peace there shouldn't be any monsters there... "

"Don't you understand?!" the young wizard burst out suddenly. "First the monsters start increasing and then this damn lunar planet comes into sight again! It is all starting anew!"

"But we defeated Zeromus one year ago!" Yang said in low voice. "There must be more to it than just the return of the moon ... Maybe Golbez ?" 

Cecil shook his head. "No..." he said slowly. "He has changed - besides Fu So Ya is there to watch over him ... But something _is strange, alright - I wonder why I haven't felt the appearance of evil on Mt . Ordeals - maybe I just was too distressed lately ..."_

"No!" the young wizard said angrily. "We haven't felt it either - the spirits were silent. Shall I tell you why?" One of the White Wizards held him back. 

"Don't - King Cecil is doing everything in his might to help us. He is not at fault ..."

"Fault ?" Cecil frowned.

"YES! It is all your fault! The spirits are angry because a man with a stained soul has become a paladin!"

"Behave yourself, wizard!" the Elder scolded. "King Cecil had received the holy sword from his father - he has redeemed the evil within him!"

Cecil stared in shock at the youth; Yang was also unable to say a word out of surprise.

"Such evil as his cannot be redeemed!" the mage pointed at the King. Suddenly tears started to shimmer in his eyes. "You and your men killed my sister back then, you damn lunarian! She was just an apprentice - still she volunteered at once to defend the Crystal!!!" He lunged forward and grabbed Cecil's tunic.

Cecil, who was by far taller and stronger than the young wizard did not move an inch. Instead, he started to talk to the boy in a soft voice, not trying to move him. "Listen - I know that what I've done is unforgivable, but you must understand that I--"

"I must understand? _You should understand that you and your race are the root of all evil - you may have become a paladin, but not by normal means - the spirits didn't talk to you,  but your father - a Lunarian like yourself ... I don't know what your trial was, but he surely made it easy for you - being his son and all. By normal means the likes of you would _never _become granted the holy power!" The young man's tears were flowing freely now and he desperately held tight on Cecil's cloak._

"That's enough!" Yang shouted angrily and whirled the wizard aside, easily. 

"Cecil is one of the purest and most noble men I know! He has suffered enough for the things he did when he was a Dark Knight and has repaid you with many good deeds!" 

He stepped up next to his pale and slightly shaken friend and placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "This man has risked his life for all of us more than once and now is willing again at once to let everything fall to help. If this isn't the behaviour of a real Paladin I do not know what ... Isn't it this way, Elder?"

The Elder cleared his throat. "Yes, indeed well spoken. I am sorry for the behaviour of my people." He bowed slightly.

"There may be problems on Mt . Ordeals, but it sure is not your fault Paladin Cecil – you've never failed in your duties ..."

The Agartian scholars nodded their heads eagerly as well as one of the female wizards- the rest of the delegation stayed silent. The Elder raised one brow. "Still the return of the moon is a disturbing sign indeed - we cannot say for sure what Golbez may be up to ..."

"He's up to nothing - I know it ..." Cecil murmured, head still bowed. "There must be something else ..." 

"See!" the young wizard exclaimed proudly. "He doesn't realize that Golbez is evil! Maybe he got hypnotized by him - or why didn't you kill him back then on the moon?!"

The other dark wizard murmured something in agreement.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Cecil felt the anger rising within - he would never forgive himself what he had done to the poor people of Mysidia, but this was going too far. He lunged forward, grabbed the collar of the young wizard and pinned him to the wall without much effort.

The boy gasped in view of the young King's strength and agility.

"You ask me why I did not kill my own brother?" the Paladin hissed. "You lost your sister yourself and ask me why I did not kill him? Maybe I deserve how you feel about me - I cannot express how sorry I am about what I did to you and others - even if I know that this won't change a thing for you..." He slowly released the wizard, his voice calm, again.

"Still there are other people in need just now, and I am not willing to risk their lives because of your silly presumptions! I just want to help - neither I nor Golbez have anything to do with the present situation ..."

The young wizard was breathing fast. "See Elder!" he murmured. "A real Paladin would never act as violently as that ..." He smiled triumphantly.

"I am sorry; " Cecil said. "I guess I am a bit nervous lately ..." He glanced at the Elder, looking for support.

"Yes - you obviously are ..." The Elder studied him, with  concern. "I was already wondering at the dinner why --" 

"But Elder," Yang said reproachfully, "that really wasn't Cecil's fault - he _had_ to defend himself, everyone would have acted this way ..."

Cecil gave Yang a thankful smile. He wouldn't ever forget the support his friend was lending him in this hour of need.

"Yes, yes," the Elder said. "I know - I am sure Paladin Cecil has no fault in the happenings of late. Besides, YOUR behaviour isn't proper for Mysidian wizards as well!" He looked at the four magicians. "And I mean ALL of you ..." The wizards bowed their heads - even the young, fierce one.

"Still we do not know what the return of the moon will cause." He paused.

"Lunar is a world of Magic - we do not know what it's vibrations and it's gravity will do to the Blue Planet and it's people when it comes closer..." He looked at Cecil.

"I..." the paladin began to protest, but was cut short by Yang.

"Don't worry Cecil!" he said friendly: "No one is blaming you for anything. The sudden happenings just make everyone nervous. For now let's just go on as planned and see what the rescue team can tell us - the moon can wait... There's still time until its orbit will reach the earth.... Ain't I right?"

"That's correct," the two scholars agreed. 

"Yes - just what I wanted to propose..." the Elder nodded. "For now, we all should get some rest ..." He bowed. "My apologies again, paladin Cecil! I am sure that my fellow wizards will realize their impossible behaviour once I have spoken to them ..."

With a commanding gesture he motioned the four wizards outside. The scholars followed, obviously interested in the coming lecture.

Cecil looked after them for a while, then turned to Yang "Thanks for defending me ..."

"No great deal, my friend ..."

"Yang... Do you also think I am behaving strange?"

"Cecil!" Yang gave him a slightly annoyed look. "You may be a bit nervous - no wonder with the preparations for the celebration and Kain's sudden return. Your mother-in-law is sitting next to you, then this catastrophe occurs, and a mad wizard insults you badly - everyone would become nervous in your momentary situation!"

Cecil only nodded. "I guess you're right - would you please tell the others of this meeting? I will try to find Kain - he has spent a year on Mt . Ordeals and maybe has noticed some unusual things ..."

"Yes – that's a good idea, Cecil! And please – don't worry too much ..." Yang gave him a friendly clap on the back and left the room.

"Whew!" Cecil let himself fall into his soft cushioned throne. He felt tired and completely miserable. The words of the young wizards echoed through his head - he didn't know some of the Mysidians still hated him that much...

If that had been his only worry, but the happenings on Mt .Ordeals disturbed him, as well-- were the spirits really angry? And what about the moon ... He wondered if his Uncle Fu So Ya and his brother Golbez were awake again ... And then he, himself... 

_"Am I really just nervous ?"_ He wished that Rosa would be there to talk about these things, as they normally did. He suddenly felt very alone- well at least Yang had been on his side. _"It is really good to have some friends you can trust ..."_

Still, Rosa's constant absence angered him – only to regret the thought a minute later, again. _"You're behaving like you did as a Black Knight - pitying yourself!" _he scolded himself_.  "She sure has reasons why she did not take part of the meeting…_ " He slowly rose and began his search for Kain...


	7. Chapter 6: Air of doubt

**Chapter 6**

_Air of doubt_

Cecil found Kain in one of the quieter castle hallways: his friend was sitting on a bench and looking out of a glass-stained window. As the young blond man noticed the Paladin, he rose up at once.

"Cecil, I've heard what happened during the meeting with the Mysidian wizards - are you feeling alright?" Somehow it bothered Cecil that Kain knew about the incident in the throne room -- he wondered who had told him about it -- maybe Yang? 

"Yeah – I'm alright ... I 'm here because I want to ask you a few questions, Kain ..."

Kain suddenly began to stiffen a bit and his eyes got a shifty look. "Uh, sure ... With what can I help you, friend?" He sat down again and began to drum with his fingers on the stone bench.

_"I wonder why he is so nervous all of a sudden?"_ Cecil eyed him sharply,_ "As if he was_ _hiding something ..."_

"Well maybe you've heard that monsters are appearing on Mt . Ordeals and have started to attack some towns. You've spent nearly a year on the mountain - maybe you have seen some strange things up there?"

"Oh - you want to talk about THAT... Mmm - let me think ..." Kain looked up and flashed a mischievous grin. "Nope – don't think so. There were some wild animals and also a few monsters, but I thought that this was normal - I mean monsters do not disappear just because someone climbs on a mountain and gets handed down a sword, right Cecil?" He started to laugh, but quickly noticed his mistake as he saw his friend glaring down angrily on him. 

"Uh - now don't get upset - it was just a joke ..." he apologized hastily. 

"Alright - though it wasn't funny - enough people have already told me what they think of my "appointment" to a Paladin," Cecil murmured. He did not like the tone in which Kain spoke to him.

_"Has he been always like that?"_ He tried to remember but stated that their last real discussion lay back more than one year...

Kain looked out of the window again. "Anyway - as I did say, I thought the monsters on the mountain were normal - besides they hardly attacked anyone. Else I witnessed nothing unusual -- except for those black- souled villains like me trying to become a better person ..." He grinned again. Cecil was not amused in the least - it angered him that Kain was no help at all. 

The paladin started another attempt. "Well - what I've wanted to ask you all these days - but Rosa claimed you so much ..." Kain started to look nervous again. "What did you do on Mt. Ordeals during all that year Kain? Surely you had some trials to overcome…"

Cecil normally did not like this method of getting something out of people, but at the moment he saw in it his only chance as Kain wasn't playing with open cards either. His friend looked down, part of his long hair falling over one shoulder. 

"What I did there - I... um... meditated?" 

Cecil felt himself getting impatient again: _"This certainly isn't my day…"_

"That was all? Kain, please stop kidding. I really need your help ..."

Kain looked up again, eyes full of grief - just as he had looked at the day of his arrival. "Cecil - I really would like to help you, but I can't tell you what I did on the mountain - please stop asking me..." 

"You can't tell me?" Cecil could barely conceal his anger. "Damn, Kain! This is no game - many people have already died and we do not know what will happen next! The monsters could increase more and overrun Mysidia! We were best friends once - for the sake of old times: please tell me ..." Kain only shook his head, sadly. 

"Does Rosa know it?" The question just shot out of Cecil. _"What am I thinking? Surely she does not know it - she would have told me ..."_

To his surprise, Kain looked away and remained silent. 

For Cecil things were clear, now. "So... she does know it ... What else does she know?"

All of a sudden, Kain jumped to his feet. "Not trusting your wife, Cecil? Why don't you ask her what she knows of me?" he hissed, taking a step towards him.

"Well I may trust her, but I certainly do not trust you ..." Cecil replied sharply. "What did you two discuss during the last days? Maybe you told her some nice stories of my time as a Black Knight and the people I killed ..." He leaned forward looking directly into Kain's hard, green eyes.

For a moment Kain seemed irritated. Then he laid his head back and started to laugh loudly. "What should I tell her of you that she did not know already? Your soul is so pure that it is laid open like a book to everyone!" He stopped laughing and continued, now sounding bitter: "Even as you were a Dark Knight you were not half as "evil" as I was _- you_were a victim of the circumstances - _I _was a victim of my own choice ..." 

Cecil did not know what to say.

"Anyway - leave Rosa out of this ..." Kain continued. "These days, your behaviour is very strange -- you should try to get yourself under control again, Cecil." He suddenly sounded very distant and cold. "Rosa deserves only the best man - you should try to live up to her expectations or else ..." He grinned and walked down the hallway.

_"Why - what is happening?_" Cecil felt utterly confused_. "I just had a big quarrel with one of my best friends and openly suspected my wife of treason ..."_ He closed his eyes and tried to bring forth some of his inner holy strength to clear his thoughts, but did not succeed in this.

"Maybe I need some rest ..." He started pacing down the hallway, not even noticing the castle servants who were showing their respects.

As he crossed the courtyard, he suddenly heard hushed voices - one voice was certainly Rosa's - one could not miss its soft, golden tone. Without thinking, Cecil quietly followed the noises. As he looked around a corner, he could see Rosa and Kain standing near a fountain, deep in discussion.

_"So that's where he went..."_

Both were looking very serious, Rosa talking most of the time, Kain nodding now and then or looking around nervously. Cecil took a step back and leaned against the cold wall. _"Now look at this - you spy after your own wife ..."_ He still wondered if they were talking about him.

_"Maybe I should just join the two, apologize and clear things for once at for all..."_

As he looked around the corner again, his mouth dropped open - his two friends were lying in each others arms - Kain just staring blankly, stroking Rosa's blond hair, Rosa hardly moving at all, head turned away. 

"What -" Cecil's eyes widened and the blood left his cheeks. He made a careless step and sent a loose stone of the wall flying to the ground. CLANK! 

Kain and Rosa at once loosened their grasp: Kain murmured some words and then hurried away in Cecil's direction - luckily he was in such a rush that he did not notice his friend.

Cecil tried to get over the first shock. _"Now just stay calm - Rosa and Kain are friends - an embrace means nothing - you and Rydia behave the same ..."_

Still the hug somehow looked more than friendly to him... _"__Rosa__ would never betray me - not willingly...I need to talk to her - right now ..."_ He left his hiding place.

"Darling - what are you doing here...?" he shouted. Rosa whirled around, startled.

"Cec... Cecil -!" she uttered a nervous laugh. "I didn't see you coming – don't frighten me like that ..."

"Sorry !" Cecil took her hand. "Think you could spare a moment of time for your husband?" 

Rosa looked at him in surprise. "Sure..." They sat down on a nearby bench. 

"It sure is about what happened this morning in the throne-room. My poor dear - you really must feel distressed." Her hands brushed some silky white hear out of his face, though her touch felt not as soft as it used to be. "Sorry that I wasn't there to help you... But I had.... other things to do ..." 

"Oh – it's alright ... I've learned to rule without you during the last few days ..." Cecil tried to sound jovially but could not hide that he felt offended.

Rosa looked at him, hurt. "Cecil - I did not do it on purpose ..."

She took her hand out of his and pressed it to her hips. "Did you just come here to scold me?" 

"No ... I just thought we should talk about some things- just as we used to do it before Kain arrived ..." Now it was out - he had given her more than a hint. 

"Cecil? What do you mean: _before Kain arrived_? As I said before I didn't neglect you on purpose - I just had so much to do with the guests and all ... " She suddenly noticed that Cecil was studying her very quietly and thoughtfully with his deep blue eyes. 

"Cecil… Why are you looking at me like that? What do you really want to know?"

"Rosa - please don't be upset. It's just – it's just that so many strange things happen at the moment and I need someone to help me to sort them out ..." He bowed his head, " And as I saw you here some minutes ago with Kain I thought ..." 

"You saw what?" Rosa leaped up with a slightly blushing face. "You spied on me?"

"Mmm - I guess sort of ..." Cecil suddenly felt very ashamed for his behaviour. "And I am sorry - but I got the impression that you and Kain share some secrets from me or even things that could be vital to help in current situation so I..."

"You have been spying on us? For how long!?"

"What?" Cecil looked confused. "This was the first time I..."

"What has gotten into you?! Have you completely lost your mind? First you insult my mother in front of our friends, then you pin a wizard on the wall and now THAT!" Rosa was completely enraged and was gesticulating wildly.

Cecil now stood, too. "Now if YOU would excuse me, but that goes too far my dear - let me get this straight: It was your mother who insulted me in the first place - and you didn't do ANYTHING against it! Do you think I am a fool who likes to get treated badly without reason?" Rosa just stared at him in disbelief.

"And then this wizard - how would you feel if everywhere you go, you would be reminded by people of the things you did to their families?" He looked aside. "You - you weren't there - the blood, the screams, some people pleading for their lives, others saying nothing..." For a moment his voice failed. "To cope with this guilt is impossible ... And sometimes I do not know what to do anymore – that's why I act so helplessly then ..."

As he looked at her again, her expression had become softer. "Cecil..." Rosa slightly touched his arm. 

"And then you and Kain ... You just behaved so strange all of a sudden, taking Kain in as if nothing had happened. I want his friendship back, too, but after all he did to us we should challenge things slowly - and together. Why don't the three of us discuss everything together?"

Rosa suddenly drew her arm back and looked at him coldly, face hard again.

"For a moment I thought I'd understand you, but now I think you just need help ... You really shouldn't be so selfish and all – that's not your style. Kain is your best friend and you could trust him at least a bit - if there was something REALLY important to know, he surely would tell it to you ..." 

"Selfish? Look who's talking - _who_ dropped all the official meetings during the last days?" 

"Now you're starting with that again! Do you need my help so much? You're just starting to sound like you still were a Dark Knight - whimpering and self - pitying. You should learn to live in the present, not in the past!"

 "Who's living in the past?" Cecil couldn't control himself any longer. "_You_ are the only one trying to bring back the old days by ensnaring Kain – but let me tell you one thing: it will not work!"

 "_Ensnaring Kain_? Now I understand - you think we're having an affair...!" Rosa looked totally surprised.

"And? Have you?" Cecil asked dryly. He had never seen his wife like this...

Rosa just stared at him speechless. Then she turned and started to go away. Suddenly she stopped, bowed her head as if thinking, then whirled around again. "Well - Kain can be very attentive – he's a good dancer and he's not half as nervous as you are, my dear Cecil..." she said with an evil smile, then walked away. 

"I AM NOT NERVOUS!" Cecil called after her - after a while he realized that he had been shouting most of the time at the top of his lungs and that some of the gardeners were staring at him ...


	8. Chapter 7: Hidden wounds

**Chapter 7**

_Hidden wounds_

Cecil sat in the castle kitchen, trying to clear his thoughts – this room was often the only place in the castle where he could reflect without being disturbed by his friends. But this time, this turned out to be a mistake, as suddenly Edge stormed into the room, exclaiming he was needing a drink after all this fuss about the earthquake. Without a word, Cecil tossed the key to the wine cellar to him. 

Before Edge left the kitchen again, happily clutching some bottles to his chest, he informed his friend that the airships already were on their way to Agart. 

"Don't you want to join us in the meeting room?"

"No... I am feeling a bit tired and things run without me, anyway. Just inform me if something happens ..."

"Uh - sure man ..." The blue haired ninja hastily started to leave the room, not wanting to disturb his friend any longer. He came not far - WOOM - the kitchen door swung inwards, sending him onto the floor, and the bottles flying into the air...

"What the heck?!" Edge shouted angrily, rolled around and caught two of the bottles in midair. The third landed with a crash at his feet, leaving a red puddle on the floor. "Arg - I should start to train again..." He stared angrily at the mess.

"Cecil! Edge! Here you are!" Cid was standing in the doorway. His face was red and he was breathing heavily.

"Come quickly! The castle is being attacked!!!"

Cecil sprang to his feet, gripping _Legend's _hilt. "Attacked!? By whom?"

"Monsters! All kinds of - probably twenty or so... " 

Suddenly they heard loud shouting and the sound of splintering wood.

"They're breaking the front door!" Cecil exclaimed. "Quickly!"

The three men ran towards the castle courtyard, Edge pushing the wine bottles in the hands of a castle servant. "Take good care of them!" 

In the courtyard, ten guards had already lined up. Cecil searched for his friends:

Yang and Edward were standing next to him - the young Bard looking slightly afraid as always when battle was near. At the far end of the corner he could see Kain, holding tightly on to his lance.

_"At least he's fighting with us..."_ As they had rushed outside he had caught a glimpse of Rosa, who had been hurrying to the sick quarters, to prepare everything in case someone got hurt.

"Cecil - what are you thinking of?!" Cid shook his shoulder: "Here they come!"

With a great crash, the big wooden front door was cracked open and a dozen monsters poured into the courtyard. Cecil lunged forward with unsheathed sword and separated with a quick blow the head of a skeleton from its body. The next swing hit the chest of a goblin. A bit behind him, Rydia was preparing a spell: "LIT!" she shouted with outstretched arms: With a loud bang_, a lightening bolt hit into a Gazer._

"Hey! Yang - look at this!" Edge shouted loudly, pointing at a wild struggling monster he had pinned with some shurikens to a wall.

"Don't talk - fight!" the King of Fabul shouted back and smashed the bones of another skeleton with a good dealt kick.

"Hey! Are you having fun without us?" a voice could be heard somewhere.

Cecil whirled around. "Palom! Porom! Go inside at once - this is no place for kids!"

"Ah, don't worry about us, dude!" the little wizard laughed and disappeared, his sister following him into the fighting crowd. 

"I'll take care of them, Cecil ..." Cid called, as he rushed forth, hitting various monsters with his big, heavy hammer.

"NOOOO!" It was Edwards scream. Another skeleton had surprised him from behind and was now raising his rusty sword to deal the King of Damcyan a mighty blow.

WUSHHH! A lance rained out of the air and got stuck in the monsters bony chest. With a quick motion the lance was pulled up and broke the bones.

"Are you alright, Edward?" Kain helped the bard up.

_"I don't understand him ..."_ Cecil thought, while hacking frantically at a group of goblins. 

The monsters were no match for the mass of Baron soldiers and the combat skill he and his friends possessed. After a while, the fighting noises were fading away - most monsters were dead or had fled.

"Whew!" Cid wiped off the sweat from his forehead. "Seems like we did it – wasn't so hard after all ..." Suddenly he was knocked over by some unseen force! "Ugh - what..." 

"Shit! Spirits!" Edge shouted and started to wave his sword around wildly in the air... Suddenly some of the skeletons came back to life.

"The black energy of the spirits feeds them!" Cecil shouted. "Watch out - we must get rid of them!"

"Wish I could, Cecil!" Yang was kicking at a blurred form in the air. "But they are immune to normal attacks - your holy sword should do the trick, though ..."

"You're right - just leave it to me!" Cecil gripped _Legend_ more firmly, lunged himself at one of the ghosts and prepared for a mighty blow.

Sheeesh... The blade went right through the creature - with no effect.

"Wha - what ..." Cecil gasped in surprise. The ghost gave an angry howl and then knocked Cecil with full force from his feet. The paladin rolled aside quickly, and soon was on his feet again. "Yang! It does not work! _Legend has no effect on them!"_

His friend shot him a surprised look. "And what now?"

"Don't worry - they have another weak point!" Rydia prepared another spell: "IFRIT!" 

In midair a flaming creature suddenly appeared and burst forward, sending fireballs in all directions. In the instant of a second the monsters were burned and only some black bones of the skeletons remained.

"Huff!" Rydia looked around. "That was close! It took me awhile to summon a monster - contact is difficult these days. It was a good thing that there had been only few spirits..." 

Edge beamed at her proudly. "Good work Rydia!" He tried to hug her. With a giggle, Rydia ducked under his arm and instead joined Cecil, who stood in the middle of the courtyard. The paladin was staring blankly at _Legend's blade._

"It has stopped glowing!" he murmured. His friends looked at him in wonder. Rosa had appeared in the castle entrance and was watching him, too, with a frowning expression.

"What do you mean, Cecil?" Edward asked softly, breaking the silence.

"Look - the magical glow it normally has... has disappeared..." He held the sword up - its blade was dull...

"I didn't notice it until now..." Cecil continued. "_Legend _receives its power from White and Holy magic - if that magic disappears--" 

"--it's just a normal sword ..." Yang finished the sentence. "That's why it couldn't kill the spirits..."

For a moment, everyone was silent, thinking.

"Maybe it just needs some powering up!" Edge exclaimed suddenly, looking very proud of his idea. "You probably just need to put it back in the stone it came from and wait some time and then ..."

"Stop it, Edge!" Rydia cut him short. "A holy sword is not something you just power up ..." She looked worried.

"That's right, Miss Rydia..." The Elder had appeared beside her, looking concerned as well. "_Legend is getting fed by the power of goodness of his owner and the power of the shrine on Mt. Ordeals - when the sword's power disappears, something is very wrong..."_

"Maybe the dumb black wizard was right after all ..." Palom murmured. "Though I don't like the thought... Hey Cecil! Have you done something bad during the last few days - like...kicking a cat or something like that?" he asked loudly.

"Palom!" Porom slapped him. "OUCH!"

Cecil stared at the two blankly. 

"Your sister is right ... That is nonsense!" Rydia pressed her hands to her hips. "He didn't mean it that way, Cecil ..." She smiled at him.

"Yes - sorry dude!" Porom said sheepishly, looking in fact sorry.

Cecil nodded. "Yeah - I know ..." He stared again wordlessly at the blade.

"So what do we do now ..." someone asked.

"Why did these monsters attack us anyway...?"

"It is just as we suspected!" the Elder said. "The earthquake and the attacks on Mysidia were just the beginning ... Lets go inside and discuss what to do next - we still have to concentrate on the happenings in Agart." Everyone nodded.

"Message from the troops should be here, tomorrow. Let's save our powers till then."

He went into the castle, the others following. As Kain passed Cecil, he wanted to say something, but let it slip the last moment. The blond fighter hurried towards Rosa, spoke a few words to her and then went in, too. Rosa looked for a moment at her husband, somewhat looking sorrowful and then followed.

"Cecil – don't you want to come with us? Soon the sun will set and who knows what will come out of the woods again?" Rydia asked softly but had to giggle at her last words, trying to cheer her friend up. Cecil, who was still looking at the dull blade, shook his head.

"Thank you, Rydia - but I need some time alone ..."

Rydia nodded understandingly and left for the castle as well.

"Rydia!" Cecil called after her. 

She looked back "Yes?"

He tried to smile. "Promise to take care of yourself - will you? That goes for all of our friends!" As he saw her frowning, he quickly added: "We don't know what perils will await us this time - do we ..." 

Rydia's frown disappeared at once. "Sure!" she said seriously. "We'll all take care – don't you worry about us, Cecil." She entered the warm lit castle.

The paladin stood in the courtyard till the sun has nearly set. Then he hurried to the Royal chambers to pack some things; took a black chocobo out of the stables and quickly left the castle without anyone noticing him.

On a hill he stopped for a moment, glancing down at the majestic castle he called his home, wondering if he ever would see it again...


	9. Chapter 8: Calming breeze

**Chapter 8**

_Calming breeze_

As the morning sun rose behind the hills and bathed the sky into a purple light, Cecil had already reached the thick woods surrounding Mt. Ordeals. The flight on the black chocobo had been swift, though painful and strenuous. Cecil rather would have liked to use the "Serpent Way"-- a magical teleport between Baron and Mysidia built long ago -- but he did not like the idea at all to appear in the middle of the town where the people hated him most. 

The King of Baron jumped from the chocobo and tied it to a nearby tree. He surveyed the dark mass of trees which lay before him:

_"I can only hope that there aren't many spirits here ..."_ he thought and started walking, shaking his legs now and then to remove the stiffness of the long flight. The paladin was in a strange mood: Though his blue eyes sparkled as usual, there was a look of sadness in them and the lines in his face were filled with worry and grief. As he had stood there last night, the dim sword in his hand, a strange realization had suddenly overcome him: He _knew_ that he had to act or things would only become worse...

As he walked now through the dark woods, always scanning the area for monsters, he felt a certain calmness coming back to him - though not his usual one.

He somehow was glad to have left the problems back in Baron and to solve the things his way; though he knew very well that Mt. Ordeals could be a one way trip...

_"I must know why I have failed... I must know if I have strayed too far from the path of light..."_

At midday he had reached the base of Mt. Ordeals without any incidents. Before he started to climb the steep path, the white-haired paladin surveyed the surroundings.

_"Strange - there are no animals here - or monsters..."_ He stopped for a moment and listened, but could hear nothing except the wind. Something was definitely wrong. He carefully continued his way, trying to make as little sound as possible - any disturbance of the spirits could be deadly for him, as his sword was useless. Thinking of that, this feeling of helplessness which he so hated, surged up in him, again – as he had climbed the mountain as  a Black Knight over one year ago, he had felt just the same way. 

_"Only then I had Palom and Porom to rely on and now... I am alone ..."_ he thought darkly. Suddenly he had to think of Rosa again_. "I wonder if the outcome of our quarrel has been my fault? Kain IS very attentive ..."_ she had said. He wondered if it had just been a joke, but this normally wasn't something Rosa would joke about.

_"Maybe she blames me for the things which happened to her... Maybe... maybe she's just tired of me - after all we know each other since our childhood ..."_

He closed his eyes and tried to remember her touch -- a touch which was always soft and full of love -- but he only could think of her angry look and cold touch as they had argued...

This worried him: _"You should not think of a person you love in such a way!"_

He suddenly felt very angry again - this time at himself and he missed his step, sending some pebbles rolling down the path.

_"Curses!"_ he thought, but it was too late - he could already hear the howling of some spirits appearing in midair. With a quick motion he unsheathed his sword - and put it away just as fast, as he reminded himself that it was of no use. 

Cecil tried to gather his thoughts, but could only think of one solution - he turned and ran...

The spirits were fast, but he was as well - Cecil was glad that he had left his white Paladin armor at Baron - in his travelling garb he could run much faster.

After a while the howling of the spirits became quieter.

_"If I can hide behind these rocks, they'll probably lose interest!"_ he thought and made a quick dash around a big rock. He ran directly into woman, who was beautiful by all means -- except for her snake-like giant body...

"Ahhh....Freshhh fleshhhh! And sssooo handsssome tooo- I like appetizzing mealss..." the Lamia hissed in a low voice and whirled her snake tail around. Cecil just in time recovered from the shock and dashed to the side.

_"I really am in trouble now ..."_ he thought as he grabbed his sword with both hands, bringing himself into a battle stance and awaited the Lamia's next move. He could hear the howling of the spirits again. The green eyes of the snake woman centered on the young man - then she threw her greenish body at him, her eyes sparkling furiously. "There isss no esscape!" 

With a thrust Cecil tried to stab his blade into the upper part of her body, but the sword didn't even scratch the leathery skin.

_"Why? Against lamias even a normal sword should work ..."_

Horror slowly filled him ...Before he could react again, the Lamia had wrapped a part of her snake tail around his legs and brought him to fall. He landed hard on the ground, his sword falling from his hands.

"Gottt yoouu!" the monster hissed triumphantly. The howling of the spirits got louder...

Cecil rolled to one side, grabbed his sword again, rolled back and started to hack as best as he could at the Lamia's tail. The woman hissed, as the strong blows rained down on her, but did not loosen her grip. With a powerful movement she raised her tail including her victim and sent them both slamming on the ground. Cecil felt blood trickling down his forehead.

_"This sword is no use - her skin is too thick and my strength feels like being sucked away!"_

He let go of his blade and tried to get his legs free. The Lamia only wrapped more of her body around his, slowly pressing the air out of his lungs. In a desperate attempt the paladin raised the upper part of his body and reached for the slender neck of the snake woman. 

"Now you die ..." he ached as he strangled her as strongly as he could.

"Nooo way ..." the Lamia hissed, green eyes blazing. She started to tighten her deadly embrace, her head shaking wildly to get rid of Cecil's hands. Cecil felt his strength ebbing away - he could hardly breath. He could feel the blood running down on various parts of the body due to the sharp rocks around them.

_"Why - is this the end?"_

His hands slid from the Lamia's neck, as it felt as if his innards would burst every minute. 

SLASH! 

A metallic sound filled the air followed by a silvery flash. Cecil felt very light as his body fell back - as he entered the welcoming darkness his last thoughts belonged to only one person...

~*~

"Rosa? Rosa - is that you?" the Paladin mumbled as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling something wet on his forehead. Someone laughed softly - in panic it could be the Lamia, Cecil forced his eyes open. To his surprise he looked directly into two big, very clear blue eyes which were studying him friendly.

"Are you alright? Sorry, but I am not this Rosa you spoke of ..."

"Yeah - I guess so ..." Cecil said weakly. His head was pounding and his sight was still blurred. "Where is the monster ...?"

"Don't worry!" the female voice continued; "it's dead. I just came in time..."

Cecil became aware that something big was lying beside him. As he moved his head he could see the bloody body of the snake-woman.

"Can you sit up?"

Cecil felt two arms support him gently as the woman helped him to sit up and leaned him against a big boulder.

"Thanks..." Slowly the features of his saviour became more clear to the Paladin - it was a stunningly beautiful woman. Her features were tender, her slightly reddish cheeks but otherwise ivory skin giving her both a warm and calming appearance. The young woman had knee-long, thick blond hair with a silver touch, which was flowing over a red cape.

She wore a white garb very similar to Cecil's own, though a silver breastplate was fastened around her upper body, and shimmered in the sun. She certainly was one of the most beautiful women Cecil had ever seen - he was sure about that.  Her whole being radiated serenity and light. 

"Are you feeling better?" She smiled at him, her red lips giving way to her perfectly white teeth.

"Uhh... yeah. What happened?" Cecil stared at her, still feeling dizzy from the shock and distracted by her beauty.

"I was walking down the path as I heard fighting noises. Then I discovered you and this Lamia. They have become very strong lately ..." For a moment she looked very serious and thoughtful, then a slight smile crept across her beautiful face. "She should better have watched her back ..." She motioned beside her, where a silvery rapier was lying, its tip still red with the Lamia's blood.

"You should be more careful in the future," she said casually as she reached out to examine the wound on Cecil's forehead. The touch of her slender fingers was soft and pleasantly cool - the pain lessened at once. To his surprise, Cecil felt himself blushing.

"Pretty bad wound you got there... I will treat it right away ..."

"No... No..!" Cecil stammered. "I - I can heal myself - I do know some white magic..." 

Surprised, the woman looked at him. "Oh? Strange - I didn't ..."

Cecil raised his hands and started to mumble softly some incantations. Between his palms a silvery light flickered up...

"See?!" he exclaimed. Suddenly the light died away. "Why didn't the cure spell work?! ...I..." The paladin stared as his hands, aghast.

The woman studied him for a moment, and then laid a hand on his shoulder. Cecil felt at once more calm.

"Don't worry – you're just exhausted. We can treat your wounds normally, too ..." she said, smiling. "Anyway - we can't stay here, or the spirits will soon find us. Some way up more is a place which should be safer – let's take a break there. You can walk - can you?" 

"Yes - I think so..." Cecil staggered too his feet, still shaking a bit. The blond woman grabbed the two swords lying on the ground, caught hold of Cecil's arm with her free hand and, steadying him, led the way up, now and then giving him a reassuring smile.

_"What a strange woman ..."_ Cecil thought. _"The way she calmed me just through her touch..."_ He managed a slight smile of his own, suddenly feeling a lot better, again…

~*~

Exhausted, Cecil slumped down and laid on a rock. The young woman fixed a fire and then sat down next to him. Her scent reminded Cecil of a fresh breeze from the sea.

She handed him a bottle. "Here - drink this. It's wine - it will help to lessen the pain ..."

"Thank you!" Cecil took a sip. The red liquid felt warm in his throat and made him feel better at once. 

"I cannot thank you enough for saving me - I wouldn't have survived the battle without you ..." he smiled at her, gratefully. "I think we haven't exchanged names yet ... I am Cecil Harvey..."

The eyes of the woman grew big, though her tone was still calm. "THE Cecil Harvey ? King of Baron and paladin!?" 

"Oh – don't worry about the titles ..." Cecil added quickly, fearing his rank might lead her to a different behaviour. Fortunately, the woman seemed unimpressed. 

"Well - nice to meet you ...Cecil."

_"She really does not seem to mind!"_ Cecil thought pleased. It was very seldom that people still called him by his name without title.

He smiled at her again: "And what's your name if I may ask?" For a moment the woman's clear, deep blue eyes studied him very intensely. "My name is... I am Dawn ..." she stated plainly. 

" ...Dawn - that is a nice name..." Cecil murmured. "So - what do you do here, Dawn?" 

She gave him a mischievous smile. "Hmm - let's see ... First you tell me. After all I saved YOU - what did bring you to climb this mountain without the proper equipment?" She motioned toward Cecil's sword Legend, which lay beside him, still as dull as it had been before.

"Oh - alright. You seem trustworthy enough ..."

He told her of the late problems in Agart and Mysidia. Dawn listened attentively. 

"So - you think that there is something wrong here as well ..."

"Yes - you see my sword seems to have lost his power of late - it didn't even scratch the Lamia... So I thought ..." Cecil bowed his head - thinking of his failures during the last days hurt. He was an experienced fighter- losing to a monster like a lamia was something which should not happen...

Dawns clear pulled him out of his depression. "But that's not all - right?" Her tone was still friendly but also more serious now. "Even though you SHOULD be able to use white magic, you could not cast a simple cure spell... And obviously the lamia surprised you ..." She fell silent for a moment, then continued in a gentler voice. "A Paladin can sense evil – can't he? And you are a paladin - truthfully I've known it from the start that you must be Cecil Harvey..." Suddenly realisation came over Cecil. He blinked at her in surprise. 

"You are ...!"

She smiled, though a bit sad. "Yes - you could call me a female paladin, though I don't like being called that way ..."

"I - I thought I was the only one. Where are you from?" Cecil stammered.

She gave him a quick smile. "I am originally from Tororia - you know where nearly all women are trained Knights. As I said I don't like being called a "paladin" as I am not the same kind as you ...I can sense evil , but I can't use white magic at all - or I would have helped you at once ..."

"Tororia ...Strange – I've been there some times, but I've never seen you - and you are no person easy to miss - believe me ..."

Dawn changed her sitting position and looked into the blazing fire. She suddenly seemed far away. "I... I left the town long ago..." She was silent for a moment, watching the blazing flames intensively. "Anyway - it doesn't matter now." It was very clear that this was some subject she didn't like to talk about and Cecil decided not to bother her any longer.

"So what do you here?" he tried to change the subject. 

"I was just travelling through this region, and felt that this place radiated something strange - something evil... Some travelers told me that this was a holy site so I got curious and decided to check things out ..." She was smiling at him again, obviously glad to have changed the subject.

_"Strange..." _Cecil thought. _"She obviously doesn't know this Mountain - I wonder where she became a paladin... Then again, she seems to know her way around here…"_

"It seems we both have the same goal!" Dawn continued. "Why don't we travel together? It seems like you could need a hand - my silver sword may be a pretty normal one, but it sure can save a man in need..." She laughed. Cecil felt himself blushing again, though he had to laugh too - the first laugh in days.

"If you would like... You're welcome!" As he watched the beautiful young woman next to him laughing friendly, the light of the flames bathing her hair in an intense light, he felt very happy for some reason. "You're _very welcome..." _

"Fine! Then it's settled. But now let's sleep. You need some rest and tomorrow will be very hard for both of us. We don't know what will await us next ..." 

She nestled herself into her cloak and then, to Cecil's surprise, drew nearer to him and leaned softly on his shoulder. She seemed light like a feather. Cecil uttered a low gasp.

"You don't mind - do you?" Dawn sounded sleepily. "The nights here get cold and that's the only way to stay warm..."

"Oh - no... I don't mind...! Cecil said quickly, afraid his reaction might have insulted her.

"I am glad. Good night then ... Cecil." Dawn nestled even deeper in his side and closed her eyes. Cecil stared for a moment at the tender, soft and warm feeling person at his side and then began to feel very sleepy as well. As he drifted off, he felt as relaxed as he hadn't felt for a long time...


	10. Chapter 9: Kiss of life

**Chapter 9**

_Kiss of life_

Cecil awoke, feeling refreshed. A soft motion in his side reminded him of the happenings the day before - Dawn was still asleep, curled into his side, some strains of her blond hair fallen into her face. Cecil watched her for a moment and couldn't help but marvel at her beauty once more. Then he carefully shook her arm with his free hand. Even through the silk of her tunic, he could feel the smoothness of her skin. As she began to move and mumbled something, Cecil felt himself blushing again. "_This woman is a complete stranger to me and still she seems so familiar..."_

He cleared his throat, then whispered softly: "Dawn - time to break up - morning has already broken..."

The blond woman slowly awoke. "Mmmh - thanks for waking me... How are you feeling, Cecil? Have you slept well?" She blinked at him friendly. 

"Err - yes, very well... And you?" Cecil replied hastily, as he carefully removed his left arm from around her shoulder and pulled himself up on the rock. 

Dawn looked at him with big eyes. "I've slept very well - I didn't feel the cold at all..." She uttered a soft laugh and then jumped to her feet with an effortless motion.

"Let's go! We've a long walk ahead of us ..." She grabbed her silver sword and tossed _Legend to Cecil, then started to walk up the path._

_"Her enthusiasm is really amazing - she sure knows how to motivate people,"_ the paladin thought, staring after her.

"Hey Cecil! What are you staring at? That won't bring your sword back to life ..." Dawn shouted. 

Cecil had to smile and quickly made his way after her.

They had walked the steep path for two hours or so, talking intensively to get to know the other better. Cecil stroke up the conversation with the discussion they had the night before - he somehow felt that his new travel companion had the right to know the reason for his venture - at least partly.

_"Maybe",_ he hoped _"She will tell me more of herself, then..."_ Dawn was a good listener and seemed very eager in hearing all the facts, and Cecil was happy to have someone to speak to.

"So, Cecil... You think that the shrine on Mt. Ordeals is the cause for all the things which have happened?" Dawn interrupted him suddenly in her usual calm, but never unfriendly manner.

The question made Cecil uneasy.

"Why yes..." he replied. "All my spiritual power comes from that shrine. It was there my father handed me the sword some years ago and the Elder of Mysidia once told me that this Mountain is the home of spirits and all magic..."

Dawn watched Cecil's expressions for a while, which made him somewhat nervous, and then said in a quit voice: "So you really think that your power comes from the shrine..." For a moment, she looked sad.

Cecil felt confused: "Have I said something wrong?"

"...No!" Dawn laughed and the sad expression on her face was gone in an instant. "I was just wondering if ..." She seemed to reflect over something for a moment. "Oh never mind - so you've been on Mt. Ordeals before?"

Cecil couldn't' help wondering why she had changed the subject so suddenly_. "So you really think that your power comes from the shrine..." Why would she question this?_"

Cecil never had doubted this fact for a minute - he had never quite understood the new power he had himself, but both the Elder and the old man Tellah, who had gotten Meteo on the mountaintop, had explained it to him that way: The power was a gift from the spirits... Suddenly Cecil had to think of the young black wizard who had said that in normal circumstances he never would have become a paladin... 

Luckily Dawn obviously felt his change of mood and gave him a slight nudge. "Hey - now don't you get depressed again! Lets get a move on!" She started to walk faster, obviously trying to get some enthusiasm into her travel companion.

"You wanted to tell me about your experiences on this mountain... Is it still familiar to you?" she shouted from her position ahead, motioning the paladin to follow her.

Cecil still felt too tired to walk too fast due to his injuries and his inner state of self but was happy to resumed his story: "Well it should be familiar to me, but somehow everything seems to have changed a bi..."

**RUMBLE**

Suddenly there was a loud crash drowning out everything else.

"What is happening?" Dawn shouted on the top of her voice as some boulders in the size of a fist landed beside her feet.

"ROCK FALL!" Cecil screamed and started to run to catch up with her. Boulders and stones crashed beside him too, luckily missing him. 

Dawn started to run, too and stopped under a big overhanging mountain plateau, motioning him to come.

"Come here, Cecil! It's safe!"

The paladin could barely understand her, so loud was the noise of the crashing stones. Suddenly a new sound seemed to mingle in the inferno, a cracking noise coming from ahead... 

As Cecil looked up he saw a crack getting bigger and bigger - in the plateau directly over Dawn!

"Dawn!!" he screamed. "Get away from under that plateau! It is going to crash down!"

"What?" Dawn just stared at him, obviously not hearing him: Suddenly she felt earth and sand trickling on her from above, followed by a part of the plateau crashing down to her side.

"Dawn!" Cecil lunged forward as fast as he could, even if his bruises from the last fight hurt terribly. She still was so far away! Suddenly there was an even louder crash! With his last strength Cecil lunged forward, threw himself over Dawn and hurled her away to the side. Behind them, the rest of the giant plateau crashed to the ground, the force sending the two rolling over the ground. The came to a halt very near to the chasm...

Then it was completely silent again. 

"UGH!" Cecil slowly opened his eyes, feeling every bone and scratch on his body. Dawn was lying directly on top of him. Even if everything seemed to hurt, Cecil wondered again how light she was.

"Dawn... Are you alright?" Slowly the body on him began to move... 

"Cough, cough... Yes - I think so... I was so startled, I didn't even realize what was happening..." She raised herself a bit. "Thank you Cecil. You've saved my life..." She rested herself on her arms, her soft, silky hair brushing softly his face. Her scent reminded Cecil of something familiar, something very dear and pleasant.

"Dawn..." Cecil looked directly into her big blue eyes, which watched him again with this strange faraway expression and still seemed to penetrate him with their stare.

_"So blue and wide like the endless sky - it is like looking into eternity..." _

Suddenly she bent down and kissed him softly on his mouth, her lips as cool and soft as her touch had been... Cecil eyes widened and he felt himself blushing at once. For a moment it felt, as if his whole self was swept away...

"I guess we are even now..." Dawn drew back, raised and started to brush the dust off her cloak. Cecil was still staring at her, not knowing what to say or what to do. He was still feeling the tingle of her lips on his... 

_"Damn!"_ he thought "_What is happening to me... I..."_

"Hey!" Dawn started to laugh. "What's up with you? Do you want to lie there all day? And stop looking at me like that. I am alright!" She grabbed at his arm and started to pull him up... 

"Come on -- we still have to walk a bit! Or are you hurt?" She started to sound concerned. 

"N-no..." Cecil tried get his senses together. "I- I guess I am alright... "

He started to brush his clothes too, hoping that she hadn't noticed his blushing.

_"She acts as if nothing has happened!"_ he wondered, touching his lips with his fingertips, as the tingling still had not ceased.

The blond woman had already begun to resume her climb, whistling a soft melody, her long hair fluttering in the wind.

_"Like she's not from this world..."_ Cecil was still thinking about the kiss.

As she noticed that the paladin did not follow her, Dawn stopped, turned around and looked at him questioningly, a smile curved on her lip. Cecil shook his head and tried to get a clear head again, then hurried after her...


	11. Chapter 10: Swept away

**Chapter 10**

_Swept away_

That night Cecil slept little. They had settled in a little niche near to the top of the mountain as the night had broken in. Dawn slept peacefully, curled beside Cecil, who had carefully moved away from her, as she was asleep. He needed some time to think...

Dawn fascinated him, as well as she amazed him. 

_"Since the time I've met her, I've been feeling much better- she makes me feel so calm... I seem to forget everything when I am talking with her..."_

He looked at the peaceful but serious expressions in her face. On could barely hear her breathing between her half closed lips... 

_"Her kiss..."_ Cecil felt himself blush again, feeling suddenly very foolish_. "Just a little kiss and you get all over excited! It's not as if you hadn't kissed before"_ he scolded himself... _"Still it had felt so strange... So good..."_

He closed his eyes and remembered the soft hair, the scent - everything seemed to remind him of... **Rosa!**" Cecil's eyes flashed open as a wave of guilt swept over him. He suddenly realized that he hadn't thought of his wife for quiet a while now... To be exact she hadn't come to his mind for nearly two days, which was a very long time for someone you normally thought of every free minute. 

_"I wonder if she is missing me... Probably not... After all, Kain's there…"_ he thought grimly, but then felt the sting of guilt again_. "But I am not better..."_ He looked at Dawn, who felt obviously cold, as she rolled over to his side. Although, he wasn't really pleased with that at the moment, Cecil decided not to wake her, and put his arm around her shoulder again. Again, he felt how calmness flowed through him, and he started to get sleepy again.

_"Just like yesterday... What is just happening to me?. Why does it feel so good when I am with he?. I love Rosa - no matter what... It couldn't be that I..."_

For a moment his calmness was washed away again by a feeling of despair -- and fear. 

He looked at the towering white moon in the black sky above him. 

_"Was everything I believed in and held up high wrong? What has happened to my inner strength... Why am I doubting so much? I have loved __Rosa__ since I could think of and even the touch of HER leaves me wondering what I REALLY feel..."_ He felt like he had felt then, back as a Black knight as he hadn't known what to do, what was right or wrong, running away from things until that fateful day in Mist. He had thought that he had gotten over it all and now... 

_"Maybe the wizards were right - I am no Paladin at all..._"

Sleep send his troubled mind to rest- before he passed out, he tried to shape Rosa before his eyes, but Dawn's presence seemed to hinder everything...

**~*~**

The next morning, Cecil felt terribly. 

Dawn was a bit concerned about his health, but Cecil assured her that everything was right.

_"Why can't I tell her the truth?"_

"Today we should reach the peak, I guess," Dawn informed him. " We don't know what we will find. Are you sure you are all right? It could become dangerous." 

"Do not worry about me..." Cecil replied. " I just did not sleep well..."

"I am sorry for that. I've slept very well...Thanks for staying by my side!" Watching her smile made Cecil even more dizzy. Before he was able to answer she was already on her way up- her frail figure nearly disappearing against the towering masses of rock of the mountain. 

This time Dawn was chatting eagerly, telling Cecil about dangers in the woods and the increasing monsters. Cecil trotted beside her, asking a question now but otherwise stayed silent. He wasn't in the mood for talking. 

_"How can she behave so "normal"? And why do I behave so strange? I wish that I could think clearly_." 

"Are you really alright?" As she got no response, Dawn came to an immediate halt. "Cecil- let me ask you a question..."

_"Now she will ask me of __Rosa__ -- I am sure. If she knows that I am married..."_

_"_Yeah, sure..." he replied.

"Cecil, what do you wish to find on the mountaintop?"

"What- what I WISH to find?" The question sounded illogica_l_ to Cecil, though he was glad that she hadn't asked something even more -- private. "_You can't wish what should happen..."_

"I... I guess I want to find the cause of the recent disturbances..."

"No, I mean what do you really WISH to find... You, for yourself..."

Cecil was trying to remember everything that was dear to him... His home, his friends -- and his wife, but the thoughts seemed to swirl around in his head_..._

"I... I guess I don't know what to answer..."

"I see..." Dawn whispered softly. 

Cecil's head started to hurt and he reached with his hand for his forehead. Dawn got there first... The pain ceased at once due to her touch, but the thoughts of the paladin seemed to become even more foggy...

"Dawn... Please don't..." the paladin's voice trailed of as his travel companion stared at him, nearly motionless. "_These eyes - one can lose himself in their gaze…_"

For a moment he felt as if everything was drained out of him, his thoughts, his emotions and his doubts, leaving only an empty space inside of him... The feeling was gone after an instant.

"What has happened just now?" At least his thoughts were a bit more clear now...

"Dawn, what did you do?"

The young woman still was staring blankly at him, as if being in trance... Suddenly her long eyelashes started to move again. "Hmm- sorry, I was thinking. Don't worry. I wasn't sure till now but now I know- everything will be alright... Let's go!"

"Dawn, wait - I don't understand. What will be alright?" Cecil asked, a slight angry tone in his voice. Instead of a response, the paladin got only a dazzling smile, which made his anger vanish at once... Still he knew that he had to "do" something soon...


	12. Chapter 11: Accepting the inevitable

**Chapter 11**

_Accepting the inevitable_

By midday they reached the top. 

"It's just this trail up and we are there, if I remember correctly..." Cecil exclaimed. His thoughts were more clear now than they had been that morning and were occupied with the reaching of the peak. "I wonder what we'll find... What if everything is alright and the fault for all these happenings lies somewhere else..."

He carefully surveyed the surroundings. "It's awfully quiet... Don't you think--"

"Yes..." Dawn agreed. " Let's be careful..." She suddenly sounded very serious again, "And... Cecil..." She gave him a thoughtful look. "Do trust yourself...!" 

Cecil was puzzled, "What do you mean with that, Dawn? You speak in riddles…" 

_"I must know what she is up to..."_

"Listen—" he began, but was stopped by her smile.

"Later, Cecil!" 

He wanted to protest, but she quickly laid one of her fingers against his lips.

"Shhh... Have you heard that, too?" Cecil tried to concentrate on the noises in his surroundings and right- there it was a faint cracklingnoise coming from the mountaintop... 

"Lets go!" Cecil unsheathed his sword. Even in his current mental state, he still knew when to concentrate on more important things, being a circumspected fighter.

"Follow me, Dawn..." 

She held him back. "Alright!" she whispered "But I will go ahead- I can move more quietly than you can, so maybe we can surprise anything that might be up there..."

Cecil looked skeptical. "But..."

"Remember the lamia?" Dawn suppressed laughter.

_"Remember the rock fall?"_ the paladin wanted to repeat, but his companion had already started to climb the path. She really was extremely quiet and fast! Cecil followed her slowly and cautiously, watching their back. Suddenly they heard a loud whirling sound and a moment later a wave of heat, the after-effect of a fire spell threw them to the ground. 

"Alright! They know that we are coming!" Dawn exclaimed, jumped to her feet with an unbelievable speed and lunged forward.

"Dawn!" Cecil followed her as fast as he could. In a minute they stood on the peak.

"AH! I've got visitors...! Lady Dawn and a friend..." a croaked voice exclaimed loudly. It belonged to an old, hooded man with a thick serpent- shaped staff in one hand. The man stood on the other side of the bridge which separated the shrine from the peak. Next to him was a burnt heap of pebbles - the sacred shrine of Mt. Ordeals! 

Cecil gasped. "What have you done! Is this your work?" he exclaimed furiously and strode forward, Dawn following him.

The man did not move an inch. "Oh, you wanted to visit the shrine- unfortunately it's broken..." He started to laugh wildly, his eyes suddenly shimmering with an eerie glow. He snipped with his fingers and was vanished in an instant.

"Where is he?" Cecil looked around him.

"There!" Dawn screamed and pointed behind him.

"Nice to see you again, Lady Dawn! " the old man laughed. "My servants will take care of you..." With another snap of his fingers he vanished again, only that this time the ground began to shake...

Suddenly a hole opened directly before Dawn's feet, a skeleton hand reaching out, then another hole and another - in an instant the two warriors were facing more than ten skeletons and zombie. Dawn started to hack at once at them, her silver sword glittering in the sun. 

With a loud cry Cecil lunged forward, as well; his blade severing the head of a skeleton from its body -- to the paladin's relief, these monsters still were vulnerable to normal steel.

The old man appeared again next to the burnt shrine, watching the two fighters from a safe distance. 

"Cecil! He's there again! By the shrine!" Dawn shouted and rolled to the side to avoid the axe of a rotting skeleton. The paladin whirled around and started to whack his way through the hordes of undead towards the bridge.

"You like to play, do you?" he shouted. " Who are you? Why did you destroy the shrine and now attack us? Why do you know our names? Tell me!" 

"My, my… So many questions…" the man teased. "Let's start with the first: "Yes, I like to play, but do you?"  With a wave of his hands the ground shook again, a flash of light blinding everyone for an instant.

Suddenly Cecil heard Dawn screaming behind him: He whirled around seeing her surrounded by ten or more zombies. 

"Cecil -- help me!" she shouted and cut off the arm of a zombie. The monster groaned loudly but did not stop attacking...

"They're too many and even my silver sword does not seem to hurt them much!"

The arm of the hurt zombie had already grown back, again.

"I am coming!" Cecil rushed forward and dealt a mighty blow to one of the rotting creatures - the blade bounced off, like he'd tried to hit a rock and the paladin was knocked backwards. 

"Damn!" he shouted. "It isn't working- my sword is useless due to the destroyed shrine!"

"Having problems, paladin? You're right- you ARE powerless due to the destruction of the shrine!" the old man shouted with a booming voice. "You keep bad company, Lady Dawn! Maybe you should have chosen someone with real power! You won't thwart my plans again, even with this charmed knight at your side!" 

"YOU!" Cecil jumped to his feet and ran towards the laughing figure, but was stopped half way before the bridge by three undead.

"We are finished!" Cecil exclaimed.

"NO !" Dawn shouted behind him. Cecil whirled around - the young woman was being dragged by the zombies to a nearby rocky wall and had trouble fighting them off.

"Cecil! Use your sword!" she shouted. 

"It's useless- the shrine is damaged!" 

"Yes boy!" the man boomed "There's nothing you can do- you're powerless- like you always were!"

"That's not true Cecil!" Dawn screamed "The shrine is nothing! Ugh!" A zombie knocked her down. Cecil rushed to her aid, but was hindered by some zombies as well... 

"Cecil! The power of your sword comes from your inner self - the shrine is but a symbol!" Dawn's voice echoed weakly through the mountain air. "Believe in your strength like others believed in you."

Cecil's thoughts began to swirl. 

"I can't!" he shouted desperately. "Why should I? No one ever really trusted me!"

"Cecil!" Dawn who was lying on the ground but still was in the possession of her sword, was still trying to defend herself. However, it was clear that she couldn't hold out much longer.

"Use your sword! Please!" 

"Seems like your charming him was a waste of time, Dawn!"

"I am NOT charming anyone, Claudius. I am releasing them!"

"Ha, call it like you will -- your little trick did not work with that one! He once was a Dark Knight - his mind is full of doubts... Even now he is not sure what to do... But don't worry - I am going to release you both from your troubles...And your friends in Baron, too!"

"Cecil – don't listen to Claudius!" Dawn screamed pleadingly. "It's not true! I believe in you, Cecil! You saved my life- you saved so many lives back then and your family and friends trust you -- you just didn't listen... Stop doubting yourself, have some trust in yourself: Not in you as a Dark Knight or as a paladin, but as you - as Cecil! You...UGGH..." Before she could continue, a zombie had thrust his dirty fangs in the flesh of her right arm and sent her sword flying away.

Cecil watched in horror as the zombies closed in on their victim.

"No... Dawn..."!! He felt helpless again like back then in his fight with Milon. 

_"It's happening again...! I can't save her! It's just like the time __Rosa__ was kidnapped... I don't want to..."_ He closed his eyes, trying to save his strength.

"_I never want such things to happen again... I want to believe! I want to trust..."_

He suddenly felt a familiar warm force rising in him. He heard a soft hum- the sword in his hands had started to glow in a warm light...

Without hesitation he strode forward. _"Hold out, Dawn! I will help you!"_

He stormed into the group of undead, wielding his sword with skill and power. The beat zombies broke down with a moan and turned to dust in an instant. Only some seconds later he had reached Dawn, who lay on the ground, her right arm bleeding. He wanted to kneel beside her, but she raised a hand.

"Later Cecil! Don't forget _him_!" she whispered weakly. 

Cecil nodded. The old man had stopped laughing, as he saw the imposing figure of the paladin stepping up to him, _Legend_ glowing in a soft light. 

"Why did you do all that?" Cecil asked.

The man only stared at him coldly. "You will get to know this soon enough. But for now..." he raised his hand.

"Noo- I won't let you vanish again!" Cecil lunged forward and buried his blade into the lean wizard.

With a furious cry of pain, the old man broke down, bleeding. "It... it seems I have underestimated you..." he coughed. "But this is only the beginning... You may have won now but..."

He coughed again, spitting out some blood. Cecil fell down on his knees and grabbed the man at his collar, trying to ignore the rotting stench emanating from him. 

"What? What will begin? Tell me! NOW!"

The old man suddenly smiled that madly, that it made the blood in Cecil freeze. 

"Soon... You will see... For now take good care of your friends...And tell Lady Dawn.... that nothing will....release her from......!" Before he could end the sentence, he collapsed…  

Cecil looked at the dead body for a moment, his anger vanishing, feeling nearly pity for this old man. He had not wanted to kill him but had seen no other way out in the rage of fight. 

A soft moan reminded him that Dawn was still lying on the other side of the bridge and he hurried to her side. The young woman was very pale, and the fabric of her shirt was soaked with blood. However, at least her breathing had become normal.

"Does it hurt much?" Cecil asked concerned. " Let me help you...I think I am able to heal again..." He closed his eyes and as before felt the warm spiritual power raising in him and flowing into his hands: In a minute he had healed the worst wounds on Dawn's arm.

"So are you feeling better, now?" he smiled as he opened his eyes.

"Yes," Dawn said "Will you help me up?" She put her arms around his neck. Cecil nodded, put his arms around her hip and slowly stood up. Again, she was so close to him... 

"Thank you very much!" Dawn said, without releasing her grasp. "I knew that you could do it...!" 

"Err... I have to thank you!" Cecil said, not knowing if he wished her to let go of him or not. " Without you I would never have started to believe in my power again.."

She gave him a sweet smile and then kissed him again - this time, however only on the cheek. That still was enough for the paladin - he carefully released her arms from around his neck, and, as he saw her eyes widen in surprise, said as calm as he could: "Dawn – I'm sorry, but I can't... I am a married man and even if everything confuses me right now I can't just forget her. I..." 

Dawn turned away. Cecil bowed his head - he wondered if he'd made her cry. 

To his surprise, Dawn started to giggle and then turned around, laughing, although her cheeks were slightly flushed. 

"Oh Cecil- you're so sweet!" she hugged him again. "Of course you can't forget Rosa- she's the woman you love!"

As she saw his surprised look she added: "I know some things about you, Cecil... I think everything was a big misunderstanding!"

"Mis... misunderstanding?!" Cecil's calmness had vanished completely. He didn't understand a thing.

"But the kiss... and I..." he stuttered. 

"Oh my -- you're completely upset... Let's sit down and talk about things!" Dawn pulled him to the ground. "Cecil!" she began, watching his expression, carefully. "I am sorry if I have confused you with my behaviour but I thought you could need some cheering up..." 

"Confused" is an understatement!" the paladin stammered and began to explain his current state of mind as best as he could, as he did not know how to resolve the situation otherwise.

"Oh... I understand…" Dawn said after he had ended. "I... I seem to have that effect on people." Suddenly her appearance changed and she looked as serious and sorrowful as she had looked the first night. 

"My ability can be a gift, but it also can lead to misunderstandings..."

"You mean that you put some kind of spell on me -- like a siren or something? That's what the evil wizard was talking about, right?" Cecil stared at her, feeling very foolish all of a sudden.

"This "evil wizard" only wanted to confuse you. I didn't "charm" you and it's no real magic, too. I can't explain everything to you, but people seem to find when they are with me what they are searching for... Kind of... As you may have the power to heal the body I may have the power to heal the soul." 

"To heal the soul? But I am feeling so confused right now- I am not even sure of my feelings for Rosa anymore... And I don't know why..." He felt very guilty and depressed again.

"Cecil!" Dawn said gently and laid her hand on his arm. "As I looked into your eyes today I saw into your soul..."

"Oh... So that's why I felt so strange... I do seem to be laid open like a book to everyone..."

"_This had been Kain's words, too. Still it feels not right to get "read" by others..."_ He frowned.

"No – that's not exactly true. It is a gift I possess.. I am sorry that I didn't tell you, but people seem to... to become frightened when they get to know my abilities..." She looked sad again. "I can't see everything so don't be afraid- I only know little of you..."

"Obviously it is not so little. You said during the fight that my friends would trust me and I just wouldn't see it..." Cecil's voice showed no hint of aggression or anger, he just wanted to get things straight once and for all.

"Cecil - please stop. It's a long story how I got to know all this- too long for now. Stop doubting yourself. I think you know very well what you WISH for, Cecil. Else you wouldn't have journeyed to this mountain all alone. As I said before: Have some trust in you and your friends..."

"You're confusing me again..."

Dawn sighed. "Alright- seems like I have to "repair" what I have done to you. Care to talk about your problems? I am sure that you haven't told me everything!"

_"And I am not sure if I will_... _Somehow it feels not right to tell a person you've just met everything..."_ However, her smile convinced him otherwise. _"It can only make me feel better, not worse."_

And thus, Cecil told her everything about Kain, Rosa and the quarrel they had have.

"So- and now you think that Rosa doesn't love you anymore but Kain and that you have betrayed her..." Dawn concluded his story. 

"I have said before that I don't know what to think..." Cecil sighed.

"Cecil, look at me! Let me please ask you a question!"

He obeyed and again her stare seemed to go right through him, only that this time his thoughts seemed to more clear instead of being drained away.

"What would you do if Rosa really loved Kain and wanted to go with him? Answer from the depth of your heart..." 

Cecil closed his eyes and suddenly the memories he held so dear appeared before his inner eye again: Rosa's laughing, her touch, her voice. _"She often had been the only one to talk to, and I had been the only one for her. We have not been only lovers, but friend -s- comrades in everything..."_

But it was not only that… There was more he was feeling for her -- something not comprehensible by the normal means, something unaffected and independent from time and place, past or present...

Cecil suddenly knew how to answer. "I would let her go," he whispered. 

"You would let her go?" For the fist time, Dawn sounded really surprised.

"Yes." Cecil felt an unbearable sadness creeping up in him. "I love her so much that I would accept everything as long as she is happy. Even leaving me... Maybe I knew it all the time but I was afraid of my own decision - not to fight for her, but let **her** decide. As it would make her happy but I... I would be missing a part not only of my life but… of myself..."

He turned his head away. 

Dawn released her hand. Her look had become very soft. "So much for you being confused - I can't believe that you doubted yourself for one second.. Maybe the destroyed shrine had some effect on you after all. Oh my, Cecil - you sure think too much - you love Rosa more than one probably can... And she thinks the same..." 

The paladin looked at her skeptically: "I wouldn't be too sure about that..."

"..So there lies the problem. You love her so much, but trust her so little?"

"I..."

"I think your wife trusts you very much. She probably never thought that you could believe she was having an affair with Kain. And so she acted maybe a bit... careless... "

"Hmm- it sounds logical, but there still is something wrong with her and Kain..."

"Kain, huh..." She gave a knowing smile which Cecil couldn't interpret.

"Well, time to find out! We can't sit here forever and talk, can we. Claudius said that your friends would be in danger, too." 

"What do you know of the man else than his name?" Cecil asked.

Dawn suddenly stiffened. "There are things I can't tell you- now... So please don't ask. It is enough for you to know that I and Claudius have met once before. He was a mad, poor soul..."

"I understand," He nodded, deciding to trust her words. 

Dawn gave him a thankful smile. "Good! Let's go- time is running short..." 

"Just a minute. There's something I have to do before we leave..." Cecil hurried over the bridge to the broken shrine and knelt down before the gray heap.

"Father..." he whispered. "As my power was not bound to this shrine, I hope your soul isn't as well. Stay with us..." He remained in silence for a moment and then returned to Dawn. " Let's go..."

The hurried down the path, meeting no more monsters- obviously the death of Claudius had made the Mountain peaceful once again. As they didn't take any breaks they reached the base of the mountain in half the time. Dawn suddenly stayed behind. "Cecil - we must part now..." she said sadly. 

"But why? Can't you help fighting of the monsters..."

She took a step towards him. "No. You're strong enough yourself. Just trust in you, your friends and your family and I am sure you will be fine. I ... I just can't go with you. But maybe we will meet again..." 

Cecil only nodded. "Alright - you must have your reasons. Still you're a mystery to me... I've liked very much travelling with you and I can't tell you how much you helped me. Now I understand what you meant with "healing the souls of people". You sure are a paladin." He embraced her carefully, strangely not any longer afraid of getting confused by her touch.

"You think so?" Dawn whispered, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Cecil – you're the nicest person I've ever met and I am sure that if you weren't---" She suddenly stopped in mid sentence and embraced him a little more tightly.

"Never mind... Goodbye, Cecil and take care. And... thank you..." She tore herself away from him and hurried back to the mountain as if she didn't want the paladin to see her face. 

"Goodbye Dawn. I have to thank..." Cecil called after her. _"What is your secret Dawn? Why did the old man on the mountain top know you? And why do I, despite this, feel that I can trust you? " _ 

In fact he felt a  sad at the loss of his companion but remembered the danger his friends could be in even now and hurried to mount the chocobo.

_"I won't be fast enough flying there and I am not sure how long they can hold out without me. What am I to do..."_

The serpent way! For a moment he hesitated, and thought of the unpleasant visit of the Mysidian delegation. _" But I can't dwell on that. There are people who need me."_

And thus, he hurried on the chocobo to Mysidia. 


	13. Chapter 12: For love's sake

**Chapter 12**

_For love's sake_

It was still dark as Cecil reached the town and hardly any wizards were out on the streets. No one noticed as Cecil hurried towards the Elders house, where a young black wizard stood guard in front of the door. As Cecil drew nearer, he saw that it was the young angry lad from the delegation. Obviously they had left Baron during his absence. The boy held his staff tighter, as he saw the familiar appearance with the long, silvery white hair approaching him. 

"You again! Here to pin some more wizards on the wall? I heard you left your people at Baron on their own!" he shouted. 

Cecil tried his best to stay calm. "Listen… I know that our meeting some days ago wasn't very "convenient". I guess we both could be taught some manners. But at the moment there are other problems. There are people who will die if you don't let me see the Elder right now! Is he there? I need to use the Serpent way! Please…" 

Hearing a King saying "please" obviously impressed the lad and he moved away from the door wordlessly. "The Elder left Baron with us to check if everything was right at home. There - go in," he murmured after a second of contemplation.

"Thank you."

"But don't think that I've forgiven you..." the boy shouted after him. Cecil just ignored the other's tone of voice and hurried inside the building... 

The Elder greeted him warmly. "Paladin Cecil! Where have you been? We all were so worried as you just disappeared that night. Queen Rosa was--"

Even if he had liked to know what was with Rosa, Cecil interrupted the old man: "Forgive me, Elder but there are more pressing matters at the moment. Baron is probably about to get attacked! You see..." He told the Elder in short was had happened on Mt. Ordeals. 

"So the shrine is destroyed but you still can use your power... That is a wonder...And so there won't be more monsters coming from there?"

"I suppose so. The old mage seemed to have summoned them- only the monsters in Baron remain."

"I will open the Serpent way at once for you, Paladin Cecil!" the Elder exclaimed.

**~*~**

One hour later Cecil was back in Baron town. He carefully steeped out of the gate and looked around. The whole town was quiet_._

_"The people musts have fled into their houses."_

As the castle came nearer, shouting could be heard and strange lights seemed to come from the direction- a sure sign for the use of magic... 

Even from far away he could see a slender, green clothed figure battling some skeletons in front of the broken castle gate. It was Rydia, casting "fire" over and over again, the blazing balls of heat burning her enemies. Still there were too much - as Cecil came nearer he could see sweat pouring down Rydia's exhausted feature - she probably couldn't hold out much longer... 

Cecil unsheathed his sword, a quick look proving what he already knew: Legend was still glowing in it's usual warm light. 

"Aeeehy!" Rydia's scream echoed through the night as one of the skeletons closed its bony fingers around her arm, hindering any spell casting moves. 

"Rydia!" Cecil charged forward into the group of monsters, Legend's light melting them like sun the snow. He managed to snag Rydia's other arm, whirling her away from her captor, while thrusting the sword into the skeleton's chest. With a loud clatter, its bones fell to the ground. Cecil held the gasping young caller close to him, steadying her as he lead her to a safe looking place near the castle moat. 

Rydia looked at him with big eyes: "Cecil - you have come back! Where were you? All were so worried, and Rosa..." 

"Rydia, later!" Cecil interrupted her friendly, but resolutely. "At the moment other things are important. What exactly happened and where are the others?"

Rydia had problems to follow him - everything was a bit too much for her to manage at the moment, but the calm voice of her friend and his firm grasp around her shoulders seemed to calm her. "Monsters suddenly attacked the castle again- just out of nowhere. First only a few, but then more and more. We all were concerned with your whereabouts and did not await another attack so soon. The repaired castle door couldn't hold the back. Edge, Yang and the other fought bravely but most weapons did not seem to work against the zombies and spirits - only my and Palom's magic, as well as Porom's and Rosa's white magic...We managed to hold the monsters back from out of the castle till now, but we are near the end of our strength. I am so glad you--" 

Suddenly the loud cry of a familiar female voice rang out from inside the castle walls: "WHITE!"

"Rosa!" Cecil gasped. "Rydia- just stay here and don't move!" Rydia looked shaken and pale, but nodded in response to his orders. "Everything will be alright. I promise..."

The green haired girl nodded again, even managing a weak smile. Cecil hurried over the castle bridge, and spotted Rosa at once. The sight he beheld there was amazing:

Many knew of Rosa only as the mild and warm hearted Queen and healer of Baron castle, but Cecil had seen her often enough in battle to know otherwise -- she had quite a temper and was a fierce fighter if needed. As it was now. The young queen of Baron was facing five or more zombies and skeletons, her beautiful face flushed from rage and strain. Her white battle gown fluttered around her from the swirling magic energies she invoked. 

"WHITE!" A glowing white ball emerged from her outstretched hands, sending the monsters flying aside as it exploded in their midst. Cecil wondered how often she had cast this extremely strenuous spell by now. Upon closer inspection, he could see that Rosa looked battered and shaken, too. Suddenly a yellow, but slightly transparent shape began to appear out of mid air behind her-- it was a spectre. 

"Rosa! Behind you!" Cecil screamed, but the fighting noises were too loud. The spirit started to glow, preparing for some sort of magical attack.

_"Dawn -- now we'll see if your trust in me was justifiable..."_ were Cecil's last thoughts as he started to ran into Rosa's directions, throwing himself between his wife and the glowing ball of magic the spirit had cast:

"WALL!"

For a moment there was silence- only the humming of the magical energy field in front of where Cecil was standing could be heard. Opposite to it, some glowing yellow dust lay on the ground- the remains of the spirit which had been destroyed by its own spell.

Rosa was lying on the ground, only slowly regaining her senses.

"Huff..." Cecil was breathing heavily. The spell he had just cast had took most of his strength. He saw some of his friends running towards him. 

"Cecil! You are back!"

"Yeah... Later... Were that all? Is everyone alright?" The young paladin looked around him, spotting all his friends except for Kain.

"Yesss sir! " Porom said. "There were even more monsters, but it seems that your sword made them afraid and that they fled..." The little wizard pointed at Legend, which glowed brighter and warmer than usually. 

"Yo man! Good to see you again!" Edge exclaimed loudly and patted the paladin on his back. "Nice work !" He  pointed to the shimmering wall of magic before them. "I didn't know that you could cast THAT high white magic, though -- the shrine sure did reload your powers, ain't I right!" He blinked at his friend in self-satisfaction upon his logical abilities. 

A frowning look of the Paladin and the giggling of Palom and Porom made Edge realize that he had said the wrong thing at the wrong time again -- his specialty...

"No, the shrine was destroyed by a mage..." Cecil explained, "It is a long story - it seems that our problems just have started… But it least it turned out that my powers aren't bound to the shrine..."

"Uh... err- sure. I knew it from the start..." Edge tried to save the situation.

"Cecil?" The female voice sounded shaken and hesitant. Cid mentioned behind Cecil where Rosa had gotten to her feet again. The paladin gripped the hilt of his sword more tightly as to have some support. Cid motioned the others to leave their two alone for a moment.

Cecil slowly turned around, wondering what would happen now. _"I do trust you, Rosa..."_

As he looked at her he noticed that Rosa's face showed some deep lines - it seemed that she had cried a lot. She took a step towards him and for a moment it occurred to the paladin that his wife just wanted to fall in his arms. She stopped shortly before him.

"Cecil..." she started, "Where have you been? I was so worried about you..." She bowed her head.

"You were?" Cecil at once felt ashamed for this question as everyone could clearly see that she was grief stricken... Rosa looked up again, a dangerous sparkle in her eyes.

"Sure I was!" Her cheeks flushed red again, this time of anger. "Of course I was!" Rosa repeated. "First you act all wildly her at home for a few days; then you start spying on me and Kain and suspect me of treason; then your power vanishes and you get even more depressed, and after a big battle you just disappear without a word for several days! And you think I couldn't worry about **that**?!" She was still trembling with anger, but now tears were standing in her eyes, as well. Cecil didn't really know what to say, afraid any false word would lead to a quarrel again. He had never seen his wife like this before. 

"And now you're standing there, saying nothing... Has it come that "far" between us?" Rosa's voice trailed off_. _

_"Have I worried you that much...?"_

CLANG! Legend fell to the ground.

"No, it hasn't..." Cecil opened his arms. His wife flew in his embrace at once, clinging hard to him, burying her head in his shoulder. The paladin stroked her soft golden hair, his eyes closed -- it felt so good to hold her again... 

Between some sobs Rosa seemed to regain her composure. 

"Cecil- it was all a big misunderstanding..." The paladin shoved her a bit away from him so that he could look in her eyes.

"A... a misunderstanding_?" _

_"Where have I heard that before?"_

Cecil took a deep breath. "Lets not waste our time with chitchat. Rosa - I must ask you a question and no matter what your answer will be: I promise that I won't be angry but will accept it: I love you more than anything else. Everything during the last days has been so confusing- I am sorry for the inconveniences I have caused, but I guess I am back to my old self. Still, I have to ask: What's the matter with you and Kain?" 

Rosa looked at him for a moment, her eyes showing no sign of anger or fear:

"Cecil- while you were away, I came to think that I, too caused you "inconveniences" by my behaviour, so let me ask first: _Do you think that Kain and I are having an affair?_ Please be true..."

"No." Suddenly Cecil felt very sure of that. Rosa suddenly beamed at him happily. 

"Cecil! I knew you would trust me- even after all this! Thank you!" With a sigh of relief she fell back in his arms. This was a good thing, as that way, she could not see Cecil's deep red face: _"I knew that you would trust me... What an idiot I have been..."_

"Err...yes!" he said, "Sure... Still you haven't told me why you behaved so strange..."

"Oh of course!" She stepped back to take a better look at him while talking. "You know, as I said before that everything was - partly a misunderstanding..." 

"Partly?"

"Well.. where shall I start?" 

"Maybe with what you and Kain always had to discuss without me?" Cecil asked impatiently, but as he saw Rosa's eyes glittering again, he continued in a softer tone: "I don't want to sound aggressive, but even now your behaviour is unusual. We used to tell us everything..."

"You're right.. but I am not supposed to speak of this normally... You see, Kain was so surprised of the warm welcome you gave him at his arrival - he thought that you would have been more angry on him after all this with me and... Well you know..."

"He should know me better..." Cecil was hiding the fact for now, that he had in fact been  angry with his former friend.

"Are you sure? I myself was not sure how I felt as I saw him again..." 

Rosa's remark irritated Cecil. "But you looked so happy..." 

"Maybe, but everything came so surprising.. I guess I didn't really know how to behave..."

Cecil remembered how he had felt, as he had seen his friend again:

"Yes, I understand very well!" He smiled.

"Well, as I brought him to his room I suddenly felt that something was wrong... He spoke only little, looked shyly at me now and then... I even began to feel a bit afraid. There was something... desperate around him..."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, with our friends coming I thought that you were occupied enough. You work so hard!" She was silent for a moment, then continued a bit sheepishly: "...I also thought that Kain would open to me more easily... You know that he likes me..."

Cecil said nothing.

"Slowly he did open up- he told me that he couldn't stay long and that he wasn't deserving any of this. I tried to explain that his actions were history, but then he told me about Mt. Ordeals..." 

"So there did happen something on the mountain..." Cecil murmured.

Suddenly it became clear to him: "Wait- did he tell you something about an old man named Claudius?"

Rosa looked at him puzzled: "I do not remember names, but yes- he told of an old man... How do you know?"

"I will tell you that later...Please go on..."

"As he just was about to break with his old life, this man appeared and brought forth his doubts again... I wanted to know what this "doubts" he spoke of referred to exactly, but he only told me that he was afraid of committing something bad again and that he had the feeling that something horrible was to happen... As I suggested to talk with you he declined- he begged me not to tell you anything... He said he didn't want to upset you and that he feared that you would throw him out of Baron if he told you everything..."

"Why should I throw him out?"

"You should ask him yourself, I guess- he got slightly hurt in one of the monster attacks, but sure will be up tomorrow, I think... I felt that Kain was hiding something before me, so I wanted to talk to you about it, but then you started to act so aggressive at the dinner..." 

"Rosa- you don't mean that everything went the way it has just because I have insulted this old...err I mean your mother?" Cecil stared at her in disbelief.

"No- not exactly... After you did explain everything to me that night, I decided to talk to you the next morning, but you were so occupied with making preparations for the ball again! On top of that I spotted Kain how he was about to leave the castle..."

"He surely must have had something on his mind..."

"I thought so, too. I'd never seen him like that- so weak- although he tried to act as cool as he could. He said that he feared to destroy everything with his presence again. He is our best friend, Cecil, so I just thought I had to help him and I convinced him to stay a bit longer. I thought that we could get things right again... I was so happy that he appeared on the ball, and as I know that you don't like dancing--"

"And your gown?" Cecil interrupted her.

Rosa looked at him, a blank look in her eyes. "My... what?"

Cecil felt slightly foolish. "Oh, I just remembered the red gown you wore at the ball. It looked really nice..."

Rosa felt irritated by this remark: "Yes... thank you... I ordered it especially for the ball - I wanted to surprise you, but you did not seem to notice it at first... But why..."

"Oh nothing..." Cecil responded hastily not wanting to talk about this nasty matter any longer... 

"As the accident at Agart happened both Kain and I thought that it was not the right time to talk about what had happened on Mt. Ordeals."

Her voice got quieter. "We didn't know that the prophecies of the old man would come true and Kain didn't want to upset anyone..."

"Well, but he did; after all..." Cecil sighed.

"I know- In truth you weren't only concerned with the actual problems but with me and Kain- you did not only behave so strange because of the happenings on the mountain but because of us... Am I right?" Rosa looked at him with searching eyes.

Cecil nodded. "Yeah- you are right. You suddenly behaved so distant. I am so used to you being by my side during hard times that I didn't realize that you had problems of your own... You seemed to have had a hard time with Kain, too...I am sorry..." 

"I must apologize as well. You're right.. I should have helped you more. I did feel guilty for my absence but I knew also that you were strong enough without me and that I myself would get along just fine without your help, too. In the beginning everything went just fine..."

"Yes - until that delegation came. I guess this was too much for me." 

"To tell the truth I think everything went over my head, too. Still I was so sure that I could help Kain... You were right that one day: I guess I tried to bring the past back and didn't realize how I was destroying the present..." Rosa suddenly admitted, softly.

Cecil shook his head. "You were right, too: I was aggressive and you sure had a hard time with me... Still I would like to know--"

His wife blushed a bit as if she had read his thoughts. "Oh -- the embrace. I was worried that day - not only about Kain but about you... Kain thought that everything was his fault and so he tried to comfort me... For him this may have been more, but for me it was just an embrace with a friend... And then you came and everything... Well I just lost my nerve. I couldn't believe that you suspected me of treason. I mean.. I know you and I..." 

Cecil held up his hand "Please stop! I should never have even thought of that. I guess we both overacted the last days- that's also why I just disappeared that night. Everything went wrong and I thought the fault lay in me..."

"So you went on an one man trip to set things right... That's really just like you..." Rosa sighed. "Living with a Paladin sure isn't easy..." She smiled. 

Cecil smiled back. "Who's speaking - who tried to set things right with Kain all alone? And about the last part... I know that Kain is a really good dancer, but..."

"Cecil!" Rosa laughed "He may be a better dancer, but you are the man I love and will always love... So - who is luckier?" She took his hand. Her touch was more gentle than ever.

"So do you want to tell me everything now, or--" Before she could end the sentence, Cecil already had embraced her tightly and kissed her passionately. "Later..." he whispered. 


	14. Chapter 13: New times, old friends

**Chapter 13**

_New times, old friends_

As Cecil made his usual control walk the next evening, he spotted Kain sitting on a bench in the castle courtyard, obviously being deep in thought. The young King took together all his courage and sat down beside his friend.

"Good evening, Kain. How are you feeling?" he began, sounding more official than he wanted. 

Kain gave him a quick glance. "Alright. It was just a scratch..." He pointed at his right arm, which was bandaged.

"It seems as if you saved the day again... Who knows what had happened if you hadn't gone off to the mountain..."

"Yes, maybe -- still the problems aren't all solved yet... Agart is destroyed, the entrance to the underworld is buried ..." 

"And the astronomers say that the moon is coming nearer and nearer..." Kain finished the sentence.

"Yeah... and on top of that the old wizard on the mountain said that this was just the beginning. Rosa told me you met him, too..."

Kain did not move an inch and still stared blankly forward as if afraid to meet Cecil's eyes.

"Yes - in a minute that fiend had brought everything back again I tried to forget... The efforts of a year were turned aside in a minute. In that moment I realized how weak I really am..." His voice trailed off.

"Kain.. You still love Rosa, do you?" Cecil asked the question straight forward, without a sign of emotion. 

Kain was completely silent for a moment, then he turned to the paladin. As Cecil looked in his eyes he saw an unbearable sorrow in them: "Yes... I do, and you can hate me for it, but the more I try to fight against it, the more I realize that there will never be another woman in my life next to her..." he said in a hoarse whisper. 

Cecil didn't know what to say, although the answer was no surprise to him.

"But you don't have to fear Cecil... For Rosa there will never be another man besides you, and it is good this way. She loves you more than anything..." 

"I know."

For a moment both were silent. Finally, Kain cleared his throat.

"Cecil, I want to apologize for what I said earlier as I told you that Rosa only deserved the best man -- she has already gotten him. And I was jealous about that..." He bowed his head.

Inside his mind, Cecil wondered if he was really such a good person, but kept the thought to himself...

"Cecil- please say something. I know that I've destroyed everything again, but I just can't love anyone else than her. I was so happy that Rosa was caring for me - I wanted it to last so I begged her, under false pretences, not to tell you anything... I was such a fool... If I had told you about the happenings on Mt. Ordeal earlier all this would not have happened..."

"And now?" Cecil knew that this was probably the most foolish thing to ask in this moment, but he couldn't think of anything better.

Kain looked at him in surprise. "You don't want to punish me or send me away after I've caused you so much trouble?"

"Do you want to go?"

"No... On the mountain I realized that though nothing could ever be like it was back than, I wanted to return to you to start again… To built a friendship grounded on trust..."

"Then _do trust yourself, Kain... you have been fighting against these doubts and negative feelings all this time, haven't you?" Cecil laid a hand on the other's shoulder._

"Cecil... why..." Kain stammered.

His friend smiled, although a bit sadly. "Kain - we once were best friends and the three of us swore to stick together no matter what... We cannot bring the old times back, but we sure can start again. And we can fight together. As to for the thing with Rosa... You may need someone to watch you, so that you won't do foolish things again; I guess..." 

"Yes - will you do it, Cecil?"

"Sure - I will have an eye on you. And besides we will find someone else for you..."

"You won't... It's hopeless."

"Ah, I don't know... How about an older woman- like Margaret..." Kain looked at him with a shocked expression in his eye. Then both young men had to laugh. 

"Cecil..." Kain said after they had stopped laughing. "Thank you -- for everything. I will live up to your expectations, I promise."

"I know that you will," Cecil responded, the feeling of friendship once again flowing through him as it once had done so long ago.

"It may take time but we three of us will be together again- and this time for true..." They gave each other a short hug, feeling familiar in both an old and a new way.

"Cecil, as you said I should trust in myself your words reminded me of her..."

"Of her?"

"I would have fallen for the evil workings of the wizard completely, if it hadn't been for her. Such a beautiful woman... She found me as I was down on my knees being half mad about my own inner nature. Then she came, calmed, soothed me and told me just this: "_Do trust in yourself..."_ But just now I understand what she meant..."

"Kain, did this woman was called by any chance "Dawn"?" 

"Yes- I believe that was her name... Hey Cecil, what _really_ happened to you on this mountain?"

"Well, that is a long story..." Cecil leaned back, and started to tell his friend what had happened, watching while talking the big, silent shape of the moon, completely forgetting all worries for a moment.

Next to a tree near the Castle Baron, a hooded, tall figure was watching the moon, too. 

"Claudius may have failed. But he was right. It really IS just the beginning..." he whispered to himself. 

**The end of part one.**


End file.
